Members of Parliament and members of the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration, my sincere thanks for the honour you have done me by inviting me to appear before you.
Haiti was dealt a body blow by the horrific earthquake that struck on January 12. That natural disaster sowed panic and chaos in the Haitian universe. The earthquake was a magnitude 7 on the Richter scale, and the epicentre was in Port-au-Prince.
Canada, through the voice of the Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, and his ministers was among the first countries to go to the scene to offer aid to an entire population that was thrown into utter confusion and left to its fate. This natural but no less devastating phenomenon brought death to hundreds of thousands of families. Thousands of women, thousands of men and children, from all social classes, were tossed onto the streets of Port-au-Prince and of towns in other provinces. Bodies are still lying in the rubble, abandoned. All government buildings, schools, churches, businesses and residential buildings were not spared. It resembles an apocalypse, the end of the world.
The Haitian people have truly witnessed the depth of the generosity of the Canadian people. In a very short time, we have been given tents, drinking water and food, and roads have been repaired. A landing strip, flying medical teams, technicians: everything was put in place, every effort made, to bring aid to the Haitian people in their distress. During that time, Prime Minister Stephen Harper and ministers from various departments organized press points to express hope, which can be expressed in one sentence: the Haitian people will not be alone in their pain. The Canadian army was brought in, ships were sent, frigates and destroyers, and professionals were sent to Port-au-Prince, Léogâne, Jacmel, and so on, to respond to the emergency and bring speedy help to the people.
Of all the actions taken, there is one that served as the ignition motor and that is worthy of mention this afternoon. During this both natural and human disaster, the country was cut off from the rest of the world and was without its usual means of communication. While Haitian governments stayed silent, of all the other countries that gave humanitarian aid to our people, it was Canada, and specifically Prime Minister Harper, that made the welcome decision to act without waiting for an official request from Haiti. Mr. Harper was also the only head of state in the world who spent a night with the Haitian people, sleeping in Haiti.
It is when things are bad that you find out who your true friends are. I think this is a strong point that is worthy of mention. We are grateful to you, the Canadian people, and your government. We thank you, from the bottom of our heart. The Haitian people will not forget this surge of generosity from Canada and the invaluable help that will continue into the future with the rebuilding of the country.
Haitians both inside and outside Haiti are counting on you and asking you to support them in rebuilding their country. As well, your help in terms of immigration is significant; that is noted. However, we are hoping for more flexibility in processing applications now underway. It is also crucial to implement a project for seasonal agricultural work contracts to help the people of Haiti combat unemployment, as you have done for Cubans and Mexicans.
Thank you very much, members of Parliament, ministers and Prime Minister. I was overjoyed to accept your invitation. God bless you.