December 6, 2014 - The Honourable Joe Oliver, Minister of Finance, today issued the following statement:
“Our thoughts and prayers are with all those put at risk by this powerful typhoon, as people are still coping with painful memories and the destruction wrought by Typhoon Haiyan just over a year ago.
“Canada stands ready to support relief efforts and provide humanitarian assistance as required. To this effect, Canada has set aside funding for GlobalMedic toward preparatory efforts and its immediate response in support of communities that lie in the path of Typhoon Hagupit. To jump-start relief efforts, our government also has relief supplies ready to be deployed. Canada was a lead donor in response to last year’s Typhoon Haiyan, and as such many of our partners remain on the ground and will have capacity to provide relief efforts.
“The Canadian Armed Forces are pre-deploying assets toward the region to facilitate an expeditious response if necessary. The Interdepartmental Strategic Support Team is also readying for rapid deployment to the Philippines. The team’s mandate will be to undertake rapid assessment of the typhoon’s impact and make early recommendations on how Canada can support those in need and help the Government of the Philippines to address the immediate impacts of the disaster. The team is a joint civilian-military team, comprising employees from Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada and the Canadian Armed Forces, including crisis-management specialists from the Stabilization and Reconstruction Task Force, a humanitarian assistance specialist and others.
“Canadian officials in Ottawa and at our embassy in Manila are in close contact with Philippine authorities and will continue to monitor the impact of the typhoon. Canada stands ready to provide emergency consular assistance as required, and members of the Standing Rapid Deployment Team have been deployed to provide additional support to Canadians on the ground.”
Canadian citizens in the Philippines requiring emergency consular assistance should contact the Canadian embassy in Manila by calling (63-2) 857-9000 or toll-free (from a landline) at +1-800-1-110-0226. Canadians may also contact Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada’s 24/7 Emergency Watch and Response Centre by calling collect at +1 613-996-8885, or by sending an email to sos@international.gc.ca.
Friends and relatives of Canadian citizens known to be in the affected area should contact the 24/7 Emergency Watch and Response Centre by calling 613-996-8885 or 1-800-387-3124, or by sending an email to sos@international.gc.ca.
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