An additional 1,000 Canadian soldiers will deploy to Haiti in the coming days to help with emergency relief efforts in the earthquake-ravaged nation, Defence Minister Peter MacKay announced Sunday morning.

The soldiers, from CFB Valcartier, have been put on notice to deploy any day to serve under the command of Brig.-Gen. Guy Laroche, who has been tapped to co-ordinate Canada's effort in Haiti.

"Brig.-Gen. Laroche will make the most of the assets already on the ground to do an assessment of what is needed most urgently and to utilize the appropriate personnel and equipment provided for those tasks," MacKay told reporters in Ottawa.

The soldiers will complement the 200 already on the ground and the 500 personnel on board HMCS Halifax and HMCS Athabaskan, both of which should arrive off the coast of Haiti early next week, MacKay said.

According to MacKay, two Griffon helicopters left Saturday and are scheduled to arrive in Haiti in three or four days. Another two Griffon choppers will depart Monday.

Three water purification units were scheduled to leave 8 Wing Trenton Sunday to arrive in Haiti later in the day and "begin operation immediately," MacKay said.

Light utility vehicles, medical personnel, medical supplies and additional personnel with Canada's Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) continue to arrive in Haiti via C-17 and C-130 aircraft.

"The military under the Government of Canada direction is pursuing a full-court press to get into theatre and affect the changes positively for Haitians and Canadians still there," MacKay said.

MacKay praised the speedy deployment of Canadian military personnel in the wake of the 7.0 magnitude earthquake, which struck Haiti early Tuesday evening.

Since the quake, the Department of Foreign Affairs has provided daily updates on Canadians in Haiti. On Sunday, Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon said the latest figures are as follows:

  • Eight Canadians have died
  • 1,115 Canadians are still unaccounted for
  • 1,122 Canadians have been located
  • 593 Canadians have been flown home to Canada
  • 30 Canadians are in the Canadian Embassy compound
  • 22,600 calls have been made to Foreign Affairs seeking information (1-800-387-3124)

"We continue to do our utmost to ensure we locate all Canadians and that these Canadians are transported safely home here to Canada," Cannon told reporters on Sunday.

Cannon also announced Sunday that Montreal would host a meeting on Jan. 25 to help plan the rebuilding of Haiti.

The meeting will be attended by Haitian Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive and foreign ministers from the Organization of American States Friends of Haiti group and will begin the planning process for major reconstruction conference on Haiti.

No date has been set for the larger conference, Cannon said. The announcement came after a telephone conference with a number of Cannon's counterparts as countries began mapping out their collective relief efforts to ensure a "high degree" of co-ordination of the immediate humanitarian response, as well as medium- and long-term reconstruction assistance.

Cannon also announced that Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Peter Kent will travel to the Dominican Republic on Monday to meet with other regional heads of state about the humanitarian effort in Haiti.

Canada's role in Haiti

Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Walter Natynczyk believes Canada's history in Haiti will give the country an advantage providing relief in the aftermath of last Tuesday's devastating earthquake.

"We have people in the Canadian forces who are Creole speakers," Natynczyk told CTV's Question Period. "Last year we had a ship off the coast of Haiti providing supplies. So we're capable to handle a whole range of humanitarian, security operations at the drop of a hat."

Canada has been very active in Haiti over the course of the past decade including Operation Horatio in August 2008. That operation saw Canadian forces delivering badly needed food and supplies after the island was hit by four separate hurricanes in the span of a month. Canadian forces sent a strategic support team along with a Sea King to help recovery efforts.

Prior to that Canada also participated in the multinational operations HALO and HAMLET in 2004 under United Nations supervision that saw Canadian senior officers deployed to headquarters in Port-au-Prince to protect human rights.

More than 500 Canadians were deployed to Haiti after a revolt against then-president Jean Bertrand Aristide. UN forces in Haiti totaled 6,940 military personnel and 2,211 police as of last count in October 2009.

A lot of our officers and NCOs have experience in Haiti from previous tours," Natynczyk said. "I think Canadians should be proud of the fact that they have soldiers, sailors, airmen and women who are trained in a whole spectrum of operations and requirements."

Haitian Creole is one of more than 25 languages available to military personnel through the Canadian Forces Language School.