Above: flooding in Haiti (UN Photo/Logan Abassi)

By Alexander Britell

Seeking to clarify comments made by International Cooperation Minister Julian Fantino to a French-language paper Friday, Canada’s International Development Agency said development funding for Haiti “has not been frozen.”

Fantino, an interview with La Presse, had said that new aid projects by Canada in Haiti had been “put on ice,” citing a lack of progress.

“That is why Minister Fantino has made clear that Canada is reviewing its long-term engagement strategy with Haiti to maximize Canadian taxpayer dollars to improve the results achieved and better address the needs and priorities of the Haitian people,” CIDA said in a statement issued to Caribbean Journal. “Canada remains concerned with the slow progress of development in Haiti due to its weak governing institutions and corruption.”

Canada said it had committed more than $1 billion to Haiti between April 2006 and March 2012.

“We continue to make some progress on areas of long term development that we have previously committed to and stand ready to offer our support for the people of Haiti in response to their emergency needs should further humanitarian crises arise,” CIDA said.