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What I fail to understand is why it seems that the Canadian commitment to Haiti is winding down already?
I think what you fail to understand is that the Government is as commited as ever. It's the military that is coming back, the aid, etc., is still flowing.Tetragrammaton said:What I fail to understand is why it seems that the Canadian commitment to Haiti is winding down already?
Tetragrammaton said:What I fail to understand is why it seems that the Canadian commitment to Haiti is winding down already?
Tetragrammaton said:What I fail to understand is why it seems that the Canadian commitment to Haiti is winding down already?
Technoviking said:I think what you fail to understand is that the Government is as commited as ever. It's the military that is coming back, the aid, etc., is still flowing.
Tetragrammaton said:It is true that I should have added that it is the Canadian military commitment to which I was referring. I guess the difficulty I have understanding is the decision to deploy around 2000 personnel for less than 2 months. Is their job done? Are the aid organizations going to take over security aspects of the mission in Haiti as well or are we simply going to let the American military do the job? I dislike feeling like we are letting someone else finish what we started.
E.R. Campbell said:The military is neither effective nor efficient (cost effective) as an aid agency. Whatweyou are good at is quick reaction and concentration of force - thuswethey, military forces, should be first in, often because they are the only resource available and able to go quickly and do something useful.
But using military forces as aid agencies is expensive. Sometimes, Kandahar being an example, the situation is too dangerous for large scale, effective civilian aid - not all of which is especially effective or efficient, either, by the way - and so the military stay involved, at great cost. Haiti is not Kandahar. The security situation, while not necessarily peaceful, is well within the capability envelope of the Brazilian led UN force. It is time for civilian aid agencies and even more effective private contractors to start doing the long term recovery and development work. That means it is past time to bring our military forces home.
.... The Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) is seeking to retain the services of a Contractor for a turnkey construction contract which has three major components ....
- Construction of a training facility and residence - This component covers all detailed design activities (drawings and specifications), construction activities (including procurement and installation of equipment and furniture required for the NPA’s operation, which forms part of the project), and internal and external quality control of the execution of the work required in the building of the NPA complex. The NPA site is located about 30 km from Port-au-Prince and about 1.5 km from the city of Ganthier. The NPA will be a training facility, able to accommodate about 350 people, including 300 students.
- Construction of a 1.2 kilometre access road and a bypass - This component covers the construction of a 1.2 km vehicular road and a bypass of approximately 600 m long.
- Training of technical and maintenance staff - This component covers the training which is comprised of three blocks dealing with (1) operational and supply management, and residence administration, (2) equipment operation and regular maintenance, and (3) preventive maintenance of equipment and infrastructure ....
.... The purpose of this notice is to invite formal costed proposals from eligible Contractors. CIDA reserves the right to refuse any or all proposals received. The estimated value of this contract is $15 millions CDN excluding GST. The anticipated contract duration is 30 to 36 months ....
.... (Canadian Commercial Corporation) invites interested companies to provide a bid for the provision of Toyota vehicles, equipment and delivery of these vehicles to the recipient nation of Haiti.
Canada has agreed to become a donor nation and assist the Haitian National Police (HNP) by purchasing vehicles and equipment that is required for policing activities in the region ....
No armour with them, I take it?medicineman said:I remember walking into my UMS in PaP in '04 to find about 30 Chinese National Police dudes there - the translator told me they were there to teach the HNP riot control. I just shook my head and walked away.
The Honourable Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today announced that Canada will increase its support for Haitian justice and security institutions by $10 million over last year’s contribution, to a total of $25 million.
“Canada’s increased funding will help the Government of Haiti respond to its citizens’ pressing justice and security needs,” said Minister Cannon. “These funds will support projects addressing Haiti’s post-earthquake needs and priorities in the areas of policing, prisons, border control and access to justice.”
In the aftermath of the January 12 earthquake, Canadians stepped up in support of Haiti, making Canada the largest per-capita donor in the world.
As one of the leading donors to justice and security system reform in Haiti, Canada provides targeted support to develop the capacity of Haitian institutions. New and ongoing projects include the provision of vehicles and classrooms for police, the rehabilitation of police stations along Haiti’s border with the Dominican Republic and the deployment of up to 150 Canadian police officers to the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti to train and mentor their Haitian counterparts.
“Our common vision for Haiti is a country built squarely on the foundations of security, sovereignty, the rule of law, economic prosperity and equality of opportunity,” said Minister Cannon. “This is not an impossible goal. It can be achieved under the leadership of Haiti’s government and with long-term commitment and collaboration among donors.”
The projects announced today will be funded by the Global Peace and Security Fund, which is managed by the Stabilization and Reconstruction Task Force (START). Before the January 12 earthquake in Haiti, START had spent a total of $51 million since 2006 to support justice and security system reform in Haiti.
At the March 31 international donors’ conference in New York, Canada pledged $400 million to help Haiti recover from the devastating January 12 earthquake. Those funds are in addition to Canada’s existing five-year, 2006-2011, $555-million commitment to Haiti. Canada is implementing a coordinated set of programs to meet the needs of Haiti’s people, strengthen state institutions, reduce instability and improve safety, access to basic services and living conditions.
For more information on Canada’s engagement in Haiti, please visit Haiti Task Force....