By: Wayne Litke

Living in a rural area, it is truly heart-warming to see the ways residents respond when a need arises.
Sometimes, responding to a need can be a slow process when governments at any level get involved.

However, that is not always the case and Canada’s relief for earthquake victims at Haiti proved our federal government can react quickly when there is the will to do so.
At the local level, there was also the political will to assist the members of a small town who felt they had been victimized by the heavy-handed tactics of the Chinook School Division Board of Trustees.
I have to say that I was very pleased to see the new board of directors respond to residents’ requests that Hazlet School be allowed to retain its international program. The program, which originated at Hazlet, fell under the scrutiny of the former board of trustees last fall, and was slated to be discontinued at the end of this school year. Ironically, the program which attracted international students to the small town was also deemed attractive enough to implement in larger schools.
Residents viewed the board’s actions as basically stealing the life blood from a small school and giving it to larger centres that are not in danger of closing. Four months after being discontinued (which is a short period in the political arena), the newly elected board of trustees reversed the decision and allowed the international program to continue at Hazlet School. Many thanks go out to the board members who listened to ratepayers and responded in an expedient fashion.
At the world level, one of the most recent examples of how a government can move quickly involved Canada and relief for the residents of Haiti. The tiny third-world country–one of the poorest on the earth–suffered a terrible blow when a powerful earthquake destroyed the majority of homes and buildings in the Leogane and Port-au-Prince area, and left an estimated 200,000 people dead. The magnitude-7 quake injured approximately 300,000 people and left a million people homeless. Most people living in North America cannot imagine suffering at that level, yet Consul Pastor Dave Manley flew to Haiti (where he had previously lived) to offer assistance. Residents across Canada responded to the plight of the Haitians and contributed to relief efforts through various charities and fund-raising events. One of the higher profile local events was a large auction spear-headed by Georgina Kimber.
The event was awesome and reminded me of the way communities band together in times of need to help one of their own. It is all too easy to sit on the couch and say the Canadian government’s contribution will include my tax dollars, and excuse away our responsibility to the poor and devastated people of the world.
However, Haiti’s need was greater than anyone could fathom and for that reason Stephen Harper’s government decided to match funds that were donated by individuals and organizations from Jan. 12 to Feb. 12, 2010. The federal government then expanded its matching fund to include all eligible donations above and beyond the original $50 million cap that was put in place.
Fourteen Canadian charities that are reporting donations have received $154.4 million, of which $128.8 million may be eligible for the matching funding by the federal government. Now that is truly remarkable, and it was thanks to the efforts of caring and giving people, as well as our federal government, that Canada’s contribution to Haitian relief will be substantial.
I believe 34 Canadians were killed in the earthquake and over 50 have not been accounted for.