Canada to help create government base in Haiti

Canada will help construct a temporary government base in Port-au-Prince so public servants can get back to work after last month's devastating earthquake, Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced Monday as he began a two-day visit to Haiti.

Canada will provide $12 million for one year for the administrative base, which will house key Haitian government ministries and public servants.

"The support that Canadians and the international community extended to Haiti is a testament to the compassion that unites humanity in the face of catastrophe," Harper said in Port-au-Prince.

"(This) is an important step towards early recovery and reconstruction efforts. Canada will continue to support the Haitian government as it moves forward with its reconstruction and development agenda."

Haitian Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive had asked the Canadian government for assistance to re-establish government facilities after the 7.0-magnitude quake hit on Jan. 12, levelling the capital and leaving tens of thousands of people dead. At least 31 Canadians died in the disaster, with another 55 Canadians still unaccounted for.

Many government buildings crumbled during the quake, including the presidential palace and several government ministries.

Employees have scrambled to collect documents from the rubble before what's left of the buildings is torn down.

The new government base will include soft-covered tents and hard-topped temporary buildings. The funding from Canada will also help pay for office furniture and supplies, computer equipment, heating and cooling systems and sanitation equipment.

Construction will begin once the Haitian government selects a location. The base is slated to be in operation for about a year after it opens.

Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon said Monday such aid from Canada and other countries is key to rebuilding Haiti.

"It's all worthwhile and we will continue because we have committed to do so," Cannon told CTV News Channel. "We'll continue to do that work, which is extremely important for this country."

Harper arrived in Haiti on a military transport plane early Monday afternoon to take a first-hand look at the early efforts to revive the quake-ravaged country and to show support to its people.

Harper surveys destruction

Harper first met in Port-au-Prince with Bellerive and Haitian President Rene Preval before heading out on a helicopter tour to survey the destruction.

The prime minister flew over the presidential palace and other buildings in Port-au-Prince, as well as the Hotel Montana, where many guests, including some Canadians, died.

During his two-day visit to Haiti, Harper is also scheduled to meet Canadian Forces members working to provide clean water and medical care for quake survivors.

He will travel to the coastal town of Jacmel and Leogane, where much of Canada's reconstruction effort is concentrated. Harper will sleep Monday night on the Navy ship HMCS Athabaskan, which is anchored off Leogane.

Gov. Gen. Michaelle Jean commended the government's role in rebuilding Haiti, her native country, and said she, too, will plan a working visit there to happen soon.

"The Governor General is really pleased with the prime minister's visit to Haiti and how Canada is showing leadership," a spokeswoman for Jean said.

"She is also impressed by the generosity of Canadians towards Haiti."

Harper is the first leader of a major G20 donor country to visit since the quake. A second G20 leader -- French President Nicolas Sarkozy -- is due to arrive in Haiti on Wednesday. It will be the first time that a French leader has visited.

The earthquake left 1.2 million homeless and caused a massive humanitarian crisis that experts say has gradually improved.

Dave Toycen, the president of World Vision Canada, said Haitian hospitals are reporting improved operating conditions when compared to their status at the onset of the quake.

"We're supplying about 12 hospitals with medical supplies and our understanding now is that they are in a much better situation than they were before…it's certainly a much better scene than it was," Toycen told CTV News Channel from Mississauga, Ont., on Monday morning.

But there is still an overwhelming demand for medical services and facilities in Port-au-Prince, said U.S. Air Force Maj. John Mansuy.

Mansuy, the operating room nurse in a tented unit stationed in Cite Soleil -- an infamous slum on the outskirts of the Haitian capital -- said his team is taking fewer people to the USNS Comfort hospital ship than they were before. But the facilities remain "pretty saturated," he said Monday.

Canadian efforts

From the early aftermath of the quake, Canada has been heavily involved in assisting Haiti from a disaster that will take years to bounce back from.

Overall, Canadians have donated $145 million for recovery efforts, with Ottawa matching at least $124 million of that figure. The Conservative government has also sent some 2,000 troops to the quake-ravaged country to help with emergency response and reconstruction efforts.

Yesterday, Harper released a statement expressing his pride in the way Canadians had acted in their outreach to Haiti.

"I am deeply proud of the remarkable work being done by Canadians to help the Haitian people rebuild," Harper said Sunday.

"From providing water, shelter and medical attention to helping rebuild and promote security, they are making a real difference in people's lives."

A release from the Prime Minister's Office said that 100,000 Canadians claim roots in Haiti, leaving "a large number of Canadian families" personally affected by the January disaster.

With files from The Associated Press and The Canadian Press