Canada pledges $2M in emergency aid for hurricane-ravaged Haiti

Canada is committing another $2 millionto help the desperate people ofHaiti in the aftermath ofHurricane Matthew.

Liberal MP EmmanuelDubourg,parliamentary secretary to the minister of national revenue,deliveredthe announcement Friday morning in one ofMontreal's Haitian cultural centres, ThePerle Retrouve.

He said the assistance will go to four non-governmentalorganizations:Mdecins du Monde, Oxfam Quebec, Action against hunger Canada and Centre d'tude et de coopration internationale.

"The ravages of Hurricane Matthew aren't just material,"Dubourg said.

"They touch directly on the pride and dignity of the Haitian people, and after the earthquake six years ago, they find themselves again facing the devastation of their country, of my country."

Dubourgwas born in Haiti and came to Canada in 1974. Hesaid these funds will directly address concerns of apublic health crisis in Haiti, such as the spread ofcholera through rural communities that lack clean water, food and shelter.

This new funding bringsCanada's total humanitarian aid to $6.08 million to date.Urgent pleas for aid have been growing in the wake of the recent disastrous storm thatkilled 1,000 people and devastated much of the country.

• Haitians anxiously await help
• Health conditions worsen in Haiti
• Cholera rampant in rural communities

UNofficials have estimated at least 1.4 million people across the region need help and that 2.1 million overall have been affected by the Category 4 hurricane.

The UN humanitarian agency in Geneva has made an emergency appeal for nearly $120 million in aid, saying about 750,000 people in southwest Haiti alone will need "life-saving assistance and protection" in the next three months.