Montréal, Québec - 15 November 2013
Prime Minister Stephen Harper today met with members of Montréal’s Filipino-Canadian community to discuss Typhoon Haiyan. The Prime Minister visited the Filipino Association of Montréal and Suburbs, where he paid his respects to all those who have been affected, pledged his ongoing support to emergency relief efforts in the affected areas, and sought input from the community on the government’s response to the crisis.
“Our hearts and prayers go out to all those in the Philippines affected by Typhoon Haiyan, as well as to the Filipino-Canadians who have felt the impact of this devastating natural disaster,” said the Prime Minister. “Our Government has been working closely with the Filipino-Canadian community and relief agencies to provide assistance as soon as possible to those in the Philippines who need it most. I was pleased to receive feedback from the community today on the efforts that we have made.”
The Prime Minister commended Montréal’s Filipino-Canadian community for their efforts in organizing donations to send to the Philippines. He also noted that Canadian individuals and businesses have already donated roughly $15.7 million to the aid effort. The Government of Canada has made a commitment to match all donations by individual Canadians.
“These acts of generosity and compassion towards the victims of the typhoon can be seen across the country,” added Prime Minister Harper. “I am proud that our Government is matching the generosity of individual Canadians dollar for dollar, in addition to the immediate emergency assistance we are providing and the deployment of elements of the Canadian Armed Forces' Disaster Assistance Response Team and the Canadian Red Cross medical team.”
