Above: Minister for International Cooperation Julian Fantino (UN Photo/Rick Bajornas)

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Canadian International Cooperation Minister Julian Fantino issued a statement on the third anniversary of the earthquake in Haiti Friday, a week after the country announced that it would be freezing aid for new development projects in the Caribbean country.

“It took 35 seconds to claim the lives of more than 230,000 men, women and children, and injure 300,000 more,” he said. “Many Canadians working in partnership with Haitians also died on that day including; RCMP officers, development and humanitarian workers.”

The Minister said Canada’s relief efforts in Haiti brought emergency food assistance to more than 4.9 million Haitians, with 1.7 million people receiving daily access to safe drinking water as a result.

“Canada’s work in Haiti demonstrates that our humanitarian assistance ultimately saves lives,” he said. “As the magnitude of the tragedy set in, our government moved quickly to provide immediate disaster relief in Haiti.”

Fantino said Canada wished to pay tribute to those who lost their lives and “stand with the people of Haiti who hope for a more secure and prosperous future.”