October 5, 2010
Ottawa, Ontario ― The Honourable Beverley J. Oda, Minister of International Cooperation, today announced Canada's support to Haiti's national efforts to strengthen democracy and good governance through well-managed electoral processes and fair and transparent elections.
"Canada has been a long-time supporter of democratic, open, and fair electoral processes in Haiti. Good governance and strong democratic institutions are essential to ensuring the success of reconstruction in Haiti," said Minister Oda. "Haitians are entitled to a fair and transparent electoral process, which will help maintain stability in post-earthquake Haiti."
Today's announcement provides a total of $5.8 million in funding. The funding will be directed to the United Nations Development Programme's operational assistance for the Haitian Electoral Council; to Elections Canada for Canadian technical support during the November 2010 elections; and to Haiti's Conseil national pour l'observation des élections for training and deploying local electoral observers.
The Canadian government's current commitment to Haiti now stands at over $1 billion (2006-2012), making it the largest recipient of Canadian development assistance in the Americas. This includes a commitment of $400 million over two years for recovery and reconstruction efforts in Haiti after the January 2010 earthquake, as well as Canada's long-term development and humanitarian assistance.
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Information:
Jessica Fletcher
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of International Cooperation
Telephone: 819-953-6238
Media Relations Office
Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA)
Telephone: 819-953-6534
Email: media@acdi-cida.gc.ca
