November 15, 2013 - 

The Honourable Lynne Yelich, Minister of State (Foreign Affairs and Consular), today met with the Filipino community in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and issued the following statement:

“On behalf of our government, I offer heartfelt condolences to those affected by the destruction caused by the passage of Typhoon Haiyan.

“My colleagues and I, including Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird, Minister of National Defence Rob Nicholson, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Chris Alexander, and Minister of International Development and Minister for La Francophonie Christian Paradis, continue to explore ways to offer assistance to the Philippines to help address this devastating situation.

“Canada acted swiftly by providing an initial $5-million contribution of Canadian assistance in support of humanitarian organizations and by calling on Canadians to help support the relief effort and establishing a matching fund. The government has also deployed elements of the Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) and supported the Canadian Red Cross deployment of medical teams and a field hospital to help meet humanitarian needs in the Philippines. In addition, consular officials in Ottawa and in the Philippines are working around the clock to reach Canadians in the affected area and to provide assistance.

“Our government will continue to stand by all Filipino people, including Canadians of Filipino descent in Canada.

“When faced with adversity, Filipino-Canadians have shown resilience and pride by coming together to support friends and family in the Philippines.

“Canadians of all backgrounds also continue to show their compassion and generosity, and our government has pledged to match the eligible charitable donations made by Canadians in response to the typhoon.”

Canadian citizens in the Philippines requiring emergency consular assistance should contact the Canadian embassy in Manila at (02) 857-9000 or Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada’s 24/7 Emergency Watch and Response Centre by dialing 1-800-1-110-0226 (toll-free within the Philippines if calling from a landline) or 001-613-996-8885 (collect calls are accepted where available).

Src:news.gc.ca