(Ottawa) A group of MPs from all parties, including at least one Liberal MP, say Ottawa should match donations made to a range of organizations that serve people affected by the devastating earthquakes in Turkey and Syria.
The federal government has offered to match up to $10 million in donations to the Canadian Red Cross, which has partners on the ground helping people suddenly left homeless after last week’s massive earthquake.
“The Red Cross is a wonderful organization that does great things. The reality, however, is that many Canadians donate to organizations they know,” Conservative MP Brad Redekopp told a House of Commons committee on Tuesday.
“For example, many newcomers donate to Islamic Relief and may not be as comfortable with the Red Cross. »
Mr. Redekopp made the comments to officials from Global Affairs Canada who were testifying before the Foreign Affairs Committee about Canada’s response.
The ministry’s head of international humanitarian aid, Stephen Salewicz, said the Red Cross seemed like the best choice, as it already has a large presence in Turkey.
“We wanted to ensure that Canadian funds were injected immediately into the response of local actors, and to support their efforts,” he testified.
“The lack of twinning does not prevent Canadians from contributing to these (other) organizations. »
But Conservative, Bloc Québécois and New Democrat MPs want to see government support broadened to include other groups, saying matching funds will convince more Canadians to donate.
At least one Liberal MP, Sameer Zuberi, supported the idea of expanding the matching program.
He asked officials to keep the problem in mind, saying it kept coming back.
“It was a problem that was also noted during the flood relief in Pakistan. Many (non-governmental) organizations and humanitarian organizations (asked) also why weren’t they included,” he raised, referring to another matching gift program last fall.
Ministry officials responded that they were building on a statement Canada backed in 2016 at the UN World Humanitarian Summit, which called on countries to support groups that can have the most impact on the ground.
But MPs have pushed back against the idea that the Canadian Red Cross and its affiliates on the ground are best placed to respond.
They pointed out that Ottawa already supports Canadian non-governmental organizations that have operated for years in war-torn Syria, where Red Cross affiliates have limited access.
The Humanitarian Coalition, a group that includes 12 major charities, has participated in government matching programs in the past.
Richard Morgan, the group’s leader, said it made sense for Ottawa to partner with the Red Cross for an immediate response. But he pointed out that his 12-member coalition, which includes Oxfam and Islamic Relief, have been operating across Syria for more than a decade.
“The deeply local capacity of our members is undervalued by Global Affairs, and we believe this is in fact a resource the government should tap into,” he told the committee.
“There are many places that the Red Cross does not have access to, that many of our members are able to deliver. This local capacity in all parts of Syria is a good example. »
A week after two major earthquakes and hundreds of aftershocks, the death toll stands at more than 35,000. Officials said 21 million people have been affected, many in desperate need of humanitarian aid.
Mr Morgan said there is a massive need to house, educate and care for people who have lost their homes, and more buildings are at risk of collapse.
He noted that other wealthy countries are better at leveraging philanthropy to respond to humanitarian crises.
“Government and private funding to date has been insufficient,” Morgan said. A much larger response from Canada and the global community is urgently required. »
Stephen Salewicz added that the initial matching pledge of 10 million was based on existing budgets that the ministry could leverage, and that the timing of donations was intentionally tight, from February 6 to 22, because charities say it helps. people to open their wallets.
He explained that the department had moved away from indefinite matching funds because these were difficult to budget for and could lead to delays of months in the delivery of Canadian aid.
Salewicz said Ottawa could always top up the aid. But he said he could not say whether the federal budget this spring will allocate more funds to respond to the situation in Turkey and Syria.
A senior official responsible for Canadian policy in the Middle East, Jess Dutton, said that all of Canada’s sanctions against Syria already include exemptions for humanitarian aid, and that anyone who has a problem providing aid should contact the ministry.