Thank you, Mr. Chair, for the invitation to speak to the committee today. I will make a few remarks, but I'm also going to ask my colleague, Richard Clair, to make a few remarks.
The Canadian Red Cross always welcomes the opportunity to engage with parliamentarians, both on domestic and on international issues.
[Translation]
I am going to make my comments in English. But if the committee members ask questions in French, I can answer in French. My presentation will include a few words in French, but I will speak mainly in English.
[English]
We're here on behalf of our secretary general, Conrad Sauvé, who's in Haiti today attending on behalf of the International Federation of Red Cross the meeting of the interim commission for the reconstruction of Haiti that is taking place in Haiti today.
We'll be brief with our opening comments, and we look forward to answering your questions and participating in this important discussion. I would like to take a moment to introduce myself and my colleagues who are here with me.
My name is Susan Johnson. I am the director general for the international operations of the Canadian Red Cross and I've been with the Red Cross movement for about 12 years, here in Canada, in Geneva, and in New York.
Richard Clair was until very recently our country director in Haiti. He has been there for the last year. Obviously he has been dealing with the day-to-day operations in Haiti, and has many insights into the challenges we have faced there and that we will continue to face.
Pam Aung Thin is our national director of public affairs and government relations. Pam has been in the forefront here in Canada, telling the story of the Haiti earthquake to Canadians from the perspective of the Red Cross. She will also be available to answer questions during the discussion period.
The Canadian Red Cross is a name recognized by many Canadians, but the full scope of our services is understood by very few. Our organization touches Canadians at home and the most vulnerable people around the world every day. We respond to emergencies in Port-au-Prince or in Petawawa. We support health work in Mali or in Mississauga. Our reach is determined not by boundaries or borders but simply by where the most vulnerable people may be in need. We are the largest humanitarian organization in Canada and we are part of the largest humanitarian network in the world.
[Translation]
Our strength comes from our vast network of volunteers, who are able to respond to international crises, like the one in Haiti, but also like all the ones that take place in Canada, as was the case last year when Hurricane Igor hit Canada’s east coast. We are the preferred organization of Canadians when they want to make donations during international disasters and crises.
[English]
Our core funding does not come from governments, but we work closely with governments on a project-by-project basis. Internationally, we're one of 186 national societies that are members of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. Our preparation, training, investment, and infrastructure allow us to respond rapidly and effectively to crisis situations. Our connections in communities give us unparalleled access to those most in need. At home, Red Cross engagement with diaspora populations provides a unique link to those most affected when a disaster strikes. Abroad, our network allows us to reach individuals and families that others cannot access.
I understand the committee is interested in understanding and improving the Canadian international emergency response with a focus on the Caribbean. This is timely and very appropriate for Canada.
[Translation]
Each year, the Caribbean is hit with natural disasters. Hurricanes batter these islands every year, resulting in the loss of numerous lives, and the costs associated with property losses have a long-term impact on the economy of the islands.
In addition to hurricanes, the region is also frequently hit by volcanic eruptions and earthquakes.
[English]
As part of the International Red Cross network, and often with the generous support of Canadians and the Canadian government, the Canadian Red Cross has been responding to disasters in the Caribbean every year. We work side by side with our sister national societies in the region to help them prepare for and respond more effectively to disasters. I will say a few words about this work and what Canada could be doing to improve our assistance, but first I'd like the start with a short look at what we mean by “disaster”.
It's worth recalling that a disaster is an event that overwhelms the capacity, be that of a family, a village, a city, or a community. An event in and of itself is not necessarily a disaster if the community can withstand the impact. For instance, if people are living in hurricane-proof houses and the hurricane blows through, it can have minimal impact on their security and the well-being of the community. But if people are living in weak, improvised structures, it does not take much to create a disaster and for the community to need the assistance of its neighbours. A disaster results from this combination of the event and the capacity of the community to resist the impact of the event.
How do we best respond to disasters? In our experience, we have learned that the most effective way to respond to disasters is first to build the resilience of families, of communities, so that the impact of the event--such as a hurricane--is minimized. Investing in disaster preparedness means being ready to respond when needed, and with the right materials and people.
I cannot stress enough the need to be prepared before a disaster strikes. It is estimated that every dollar invested in disaster preparedness saves seven dollars in disaster response. Disaster preparedness is more than just infrastructure. The need for sturdy housing, maintained retaining walls, and natural hurricane defences--such as mangrove forests--is evident. However, the training and support for disaster volunteers, the proper planning and implementation of disaster plans, and basic health and safety understanding are just as necessary.
The Red Cross, through its network and communities, engages governments at all levels, and we offer our expertise and key services that are needed before, during, and after disasters. In the context of this study the committee is undertaking, we feel that one of the responsibilities of government is to continue and work together to support the needs of governments in affected regions. We must work together to build the knowledge and understanding to be ready when the next emergency strikes.
We can see the impact of these kinds of investments in the international Red Cross engagement in Haiti. In Haiti, in response to the January 2010 earthquake, the International Red Cross has undertaken its largest ever disaster response in a single country. The Canadian Red Cross, in collaboration with the Haitian Red Cross, had been working on the ground in Haiti long before the January earthquake. We've been working there, with the Haitian Red Cross, to help build their capacity to respond to the regular hurricane season. This has included first aid training for volunteers and other community disaster preparedness initiatives.
In the first hour after the earthquake, Haitian Red Cross volunteers--many of whom were themselves victims of the earthquake--were combing through the mountains of debris, searching for signs of life. They were also providing immediate first aid to those most in need.
In the hours after the earthquake, other national societies, including an emergency response contingent of the Canadian Red Cross, began to arrive in Haiti. The regional and international system of the Red Cross was fully mobilized. Relief goods that were in stock in Panama and elsewhere in the region and people from the other islands in the Caribbean, from Central America, South America, Canada, and the U.S. were all called upon to be part of the response. The people and the goods fit into an already tried and true system, which has been built by the International Red Cross over many years. It's a system that we review and improve regularly.
To give you a better picture of Haiti and the work currently under way, I am going to now turn to my colleague, Richard Clair, so that he can share with you some of his experiences and observations from his experience over the last year.
Until yesterday I was the country representative of the Canadian Red Cross in Haiti. The year 2010 in Haiti reminds me a bit of the old country and western song that went “If it weren't for bad luck, I wouldn't have luck at all”. Haiti was hit by an earthquake, a cholera outbreak, political instability, and a hurricane as well. The word “resilient” does not even come close to describing the Haitian people.
[Translation]
Haiti was experiencing problems long before the earthquake, and this catastrophe did nothing to help things. In fact, 80% of the population lives on less than $2 a day. It is impossible to travel around the country without being struck by this devastating poverty. The statistics on access to drinking water, education and health care are shocking. But we must not give up and say that there is nothing we can do.
[English]
Since January 12, over one million emergency relief items have been delivered by the Red Cross. From January on--and yes, this process is ongoing--2.5 million litres of safe drinking water have been produced daily. To put that into perspective, this is the same as providing 20 litres of water every day to every one of your constituents in your respective ridings here.
Access to medical treatment was an immediate need after the earthquake and continues to be a priority of the Red Cross. To date, more than 216,000 people have received care at a Red Cross facility.
[Translation]
The Red Cross movement responded quickly and effectively in the emergency phase immediately after the earthquake. We have delivered millions of litres of water, tens of thousands of hygiene kits, and hundreds of thousands of units of plastic sheeting and tents. To date, we have built close to 6,000 temporary hurricane and earthquake-resistant shelters.
I would like to clarify something about the distribution of water. After the first few cases of cholera appeared, we were particularly afraid that the displaced persons camp would be the hardest hit, but thanks in particular to a massive distribution of water, which is continuing to this day, and to a considerable awareness and prevention campaign by Red Cross volunteers, the impact of cholera in the displaced persons camps was reduced considerably.
[English]
The Canadian Red Cross is putting a lot of its resources into shelters, working primarily in the regions of Jacmel and Leogane. We have committed to building 7,500 shelters and have built over 1,200 so far. That means that more than 6,000 people are no longer living in tents, thanks to Canadian donations. We are picking up steam, and we'll be finished with construction by early fall.
The shelters we are building are sturdy, earthquake resistant, hurricane resistant shelters that can house an average-size family of five people. We are also working with partners to provide water and sanitation access in the communities where we are building shelters. The idea is to provide basic shelter to families who lost their houses in the earthquake but to also help rebuild communities around them.
Shelter is, and will remain, one of the greatest challenges facing the Haitian people. Ensuring that the Haitian people are moved out of temporary shelters and into more permanent homes will continue to usurp large amounts of time and money from international actors. Currently there are approximately 800,000 Haitians living in temporary shelters. It is estimated that a year from now there will still be 400,000.
Shelter difficulties are about more than just walls and cement. Land ownership rights are an impediment to providing the help needed. The Canadian government has an opportunity to advocate strongly for clear and fair land assessments by the Haitian government. This is essential to moving forward with both public and private reconstruction.
Our second-biggest investment is in the health care system. We are working with many partners to move this forward. We've committed to helping rebuild the Saint Michel hospital in Jacmel. We are also rebuilding clinics and are providing community-based health programs, which will be centred in the southeast of the country. We are implementing programs that are sustainable. We expect to work in Haiti for the next five to ten years.
We are also working on small-scale mitigation projects for reducing natural disaster risks in communities. We are also doing gender-based violence prevention.
[Translation]
And lastly, we are working very closely with the Haitian Red Cross to strengthen its abilities so it can become a more solid organization for supporting Haiti’s communities now and in the years to come. The Haitian Red Cross, like the Canadian Red Cross, is an important partner for public authorities, and it is our responsibility to become a stronger organization so it can come to the aid of its fellow citizens in moments of crisis.
[English]
I will now pass the remarks over to Susan.
I'll just close with a few remarks now on partnership and our partnership with the Canadian government.
On a daily basis, the Red Cross is helping vulnerable communities around the world, thanks in large part to the support we enjoy from the federal government. In response to the earthquake in Haiti, Canadian government action was immediate, and the support has been steadfast. A shining example of this is the new field hospital that was created through a partnership with CIDA and the Canadian Red Cross. This field hospital was deployed for the first time on December 3 to Carrefour in Haiti, where we've been treating the cholera outbreak. More than 1,300 people have now been treated since that hospital was established.
With this mobile hospital, which is a first for the International Red Cross in this hemisphere, we can now be on the ground and working in an emergency situation a day after we've been called in. It ensures a rapid and comprehensive response to even complex medical situations. This would not be possible without government support.
As with any partnership, the Canadian Red Cross is working closely with the government to strengthen our bond. Together we have made some important investments in building real capacity to respond to disasters in this region and around the globe. In addition to the mobile hospital, we have relief supplies ready to ship to respond to urgent needs. We have trained Red Cross staff and volunteers who are well prepared to face the most complex of disaster situations.
This stand-by capacity takes everyday investment, and we would encourage the Government of Canada to continue and to in fact increase efforts in this regard. Our unique capacities and experiences around the globe make us a valuable partner of the Government of Canada in policy development in the areas of international humanitarian assistance, relief, reconstruction, and capacity development.
I would also like to note that the Red Cross is not only a disaster preparedness and response organization. We make big contributions to addressing a range of other humanitarian needs. But with regard to today's subject, I think you will have appreciated from our remarks here today that we have a wide base of knowledge and expertise in the matter.
We now look forward to responding to any questions you may have.
Thank you very much.
:
Thank you very much for the question.
I think from our perspective, we're certainly working very closely with the Haitian Red Cross at the national level, and then also at the local level in the communities where we're working, in Jacmel, for instance, where there is a local branch of the Haitian Red Cross. Our work with them is everything from the simplest practical things like having an actual location where they can work from, helping them with the recruitment and training of volunteers, some first aid training, all the things it takes to be a viable, relevant, local Red Cross, and helping them do that.
Our work is also finding a way of helping them do that in a way that doesn't mean we're doing it for them, that the Haitians themselves are in the leadership positions, that we're with them in that process but not delivering that process for them, so to speak. It also makes it a longer process but one we believe will have more sustainability over the longer term. So we're involved in training of people, in working with Haitian Red Cross on things like good finance systems, good human resources systems, the basic things you need to be a viable organization.
It's very difficult to see how to do this, though, over the long term, because we're only one actor in Haiti. We're talking about a Haitian Red Cross. It's one organization in a broader jigsaw puzzle of what is Haiti today. We're clear that we will stay as a partner with the Haitian Red Cross and we'll do the best we can, but of course it takes place in a broader context. What will happen to Haiti in that broader sense is something that is in many people's hands, certainly not just the Red Cross hands and certainly not just the Haitian Red Cross hands. But we're committed to staying with them and working as closely as we can with them to help them be, as I say, the most relevant humanitarian actor in their own context.
Certainly I think, as Richard was saying earlier, that as the political situation stabilizes and it becomes more possible for people to move on in that sense, it will allow organizations like the Haitian Red Cross...it will allow this work to go forward more effectively.
:
We have a specific violence prevention program.
Violence against women is one of the main social issues identified in Haiti. What we do when we give shelters out is to try to ensure that if the couple is married, for example, the property right goes to both the man and the woman. For couples who are not married, the title goes to the woman because we understand the women are in more vulnerable situations.
In our communities, our work crews, we deliberately select women to do work. In our warehouse--I hope you will come to Haiti to see the massive warehouse we have--we hire women specifically in non-traditional work. We try to address that side of it.
On the violence prevention, we're training our staff—the local staff, the regular staff—identifying violence, and also finding out the resources in Haiti to address those issues, such as the social system or the police or whatever. We need to find the local actors who can help these people.
We don't have specific programs or halfway houses, but we are in the community. When we do find these facts, we try to get the resources to them and show them where they can get assistance.
:
USI of the Université de Montréal and the public health agency of Quebec and of Montreal. So there are four health organizations in Quebec we've partnered with, all of which are going to play a different role in this initiative where we're going to be rebuilding and rehabilitating the St-Michel hospital in Jacmel. The St-Michel hospital exists in Jacmel, but it's a debilitated structure and it needs serious work.
So we've been looking at that and looking at developing, in fact, the master plan for the rebuilding of the hospital. Our initiative to play that role has been approved by the Ministry of Health in Haiti. As I think Pam mentioned earlier, we've sort of ear-marked some of the funds we have for this integrated health initiative, which is going to include the rebuilding of the hospital, the building of probably three or four community clinics in more rural areas around Jacmel, and training for the professionals who will be needed to work in the hospital and in the clinics, as well as community basic public health programming that we'll be doing hand in hand with the Haitian Red Cross. It's an integrated program that's going to deal with basic health issues as well as provide tertiary care.
We've been constructing the partnership, essentially, and working with the Ministry of Health, as Richard explained. We are now in a dialogue with the Japanese government, which is also indicating interest in coming into the partnership with us to assist with the actual reconstruction of the hospital. We don't have the full plans yet of the hospital. It's still early days in terms of the design and everything else. We actually have a mission going from Quebec in March, so all of the partners and the Canadian Red Cross will be going to Jacmel to look at the site and look at the situation and develop further the detailed plans in terms of how all the partners come together to work on that.
One of the reasons we've built the partnership with the organizations in Quebec is that in terms of longer-term sustainability, we wanted the relationship with Sainte-Justine and the other organizations in Quebec in terms of the training of health professionals. We see ourselves, as the Red Cross, as pulling these partners together creating sort of the impetus or the catalyst for all that to happen, providing a certain amount of resources for that for a period of time, but then over time stepping back. We are imagining the organizations in Quebec and the Jacmel Ministry of Health sustaining that partnership over a longer term, once we've done what we can with the resources we have.
:
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
Thank you very much to the witnesses and thank you to my colleague for giving me his space.
The reason I moved in was to ask about the issue of global community cooperation.
Last Wednesday I went to Brussels, representing Canada. It was an international conference on Haiti. It was organized by Canada, the European Union, the Belgian government, and the Haitian authority. I gave the keynote address. Michaëlle Jean was there as well, and so was the Belgian foreign minister and the commissioners from the European Union.
This was a conference to see, one year later, exactly what was going on in Haiti and what the challenges are. The conference was divided into two parts. One part was on best practices that have come out of the challenges, after one year, for all the NGOs and for the development assistance that has taken place. The second part was about where Canada played a leading role.
My keynote address has already gone to the committee members, and the clerk will confirm when they will get it. The speech I made has gone to translation, and it will be sent over to you so that you can see Canada's position. Please read it as bedtime reading.
We took a very strong stand. We took a very strong international stand on the issue of governance. As a matter of fact, my speech really shocked everyone there. We were there with the UN representative as well as the American representatives. We will send you that. I think you individuals and all of the Canadian NGOs working in Haiti should read the speech and see what came out of that conference, because we were talking about best practices and everything.
Michaëlle Jean mentioned one key issue to me. By the way, I have asked Michaëlle Jean to attend the committee, and she has agreed to come. She is the UNESCO representative. You will send the invitation to her.
One issue Mr. Lunney was talking about that I want to check with you was the issue of land tenure in Haiti. There is no land tenure in Haiti. Henceforth, land has no title. Today you can build something. One of the key issues with the debris not being removed is that those people want to indicate that this is where they used to live, because there's no land title. I want to know from you what the challenges for some of the institutions like yours are.
I allude to one hospital that had been built, and all of a sudden the title of the land has become an issue. The Haitian government can give you the land. The problem is that the Haitian government does not own that land. They don't know who owns that land. So you get conflicting statements coming in. You get conflicting people walking in and saying “This is my piece of land. You have already built this, but I'm sorry, this is not your piece of land. It's my piece of land.”
This has become a big impediment, from what I understood at that conference. Maybe you who are building structures in Haiti want to tell us your experience in reference to land title and the buildings you are making and whether you are facing similar challenges. We have asked. We are going to put in money, and the international community, including the European Union, is now going to work with the Haitian government to try to get a land tenure system in place. But as you will notice from the speech I made, governance has become the strongest impediment to providing long-term solutions, as Bob said, for work, for jobs, and for building the economy. At this current stage, it is bad governance and the lack of institutions, including land tenure.
Tell me about the land tenure issue. What are you trying to do? You're building structures, but are you facing problems?
:
There are fundamental issues. You just said that it might not be your role to handle them. I think it would be terrible to have an exercise like this one today without mentioning them, at least briefly. I am talking about issues that are at the very root of Haiti's extreme poverty.
One of the big problems is deforestation. When we fly over the neighbouring countries, we see that they are green. Then, when we get to Haiti, we see that the island is bare. All the forests have been burned down because the citizens use wood to cook, among other things. There, we were told that, as long as wood is cheaper than other combustibles, like propane gas, this was going to continue. As soon as trees are planted, they are immediately cut down and burned by the citizens. That means that, when it rains, all the soil goes into the sea, which ruins the possibilities for agricultural development.
The other big problem is the free market. Per hectare, the yield of Haitian land is very low. Take rice for example. A lot less rice is produced per hectare than on American farms. Also American rice is subsidized, so that Haitians eat only American rice, when they can buy it, of course.
With that in mind, don't you sometimes have the impression that, in Haiti, you are only putting band-aids, that are no doubt necessary, on the deep and pus-filled wounds that cannot be cleaned and will always continue to fester?
:
Okay. Thank you very much.
I do want to thank our witnesses. I think you guys were a great first organization to lay the foundations for what we're going to be looking at in Haiti.
For committee members, I just want to give you updates on a couple of things. We've talked to ministers and about coming. Minister Cannon is not available prior to March 22; there is a possibility that Minister Oda is available for Monday, March 21.
The second issue is the subcommittee on international human rights. Scott Reid wanted to appear before the committee to talk about a couple of things they've been doing. That is going to happen on Wednesday.
Then the third thing I wanted to mention to you was that there has been a request by Mr. Dewar to have René Magloire to attend. We want to make sure that we fit him in; he's here Monday, March 7. We'll put him in for the last half hour, because we have officials in the first part.
The last thing I wanted to mention is that the current ambassador for Sudan in Canada, Mr. Elsadig Almagly, has asked to meet with the committee concerning the post-referendum period. I would suggest that's probably not a bad thought process that we look at trying to move in as well.
We're going to try to schedule all those things in; I just wanted to give you a heads-up. Is that all right?