Governor General to visit Haiti

Gov. Gen. Michaëlle Jean will head to Haiti next week for a brief visit to witness the reconstruction efforts that began shortly after the country was hit by a powerful earthquake on Jan. 12.

The visit will be the Governor General’s first trip to Haiti since the earthquake, which killed more than 200,000 and reduced the capital Port-au-Prince to rubble.

Jean, who was born in Haiti, made an emotional statement in Ottawa the day after the earthquake.

"We're seeing a major catastrophe for people who are of Haitian origins," said Jean, who moved to Canada when she was 11.

The Governor General will travel with her husband, Jean-Daniel Lafond. The pair will visit several locations in Haiti, and are also scheduled to travel to the neighbouring Dominican Republic to thank the government for taking a leadership role in the reconstruction.

The earthquake levelled most government institutions. In February, the United Nations asked for nearly $1.44 billion US in aid — the largest appeal the organization has ever made after a natural disaster.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper travelled briefly to Haiti in February, when he announced that Canada had pledged $12 million to temporarily house government departments whose buildings were damaged and destroyed in the earthquake.

The government also agreed to match eligible charitable donations made by Canadians to support the relief effort in Haiti. More than $128 million was raised through the program before it ended on Feb. 12, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

On Tuesday, the European Union said it would release roughly $140 million in funds to help fund schools and rebuild shattered infrastructure. The money is part of the roughly $420 million the EU has pledged to Haiti.

International donors are expected to meet in March at the UN headquarters in New York to discuss the reconstruction efforts.