Skip to main content

Villagers, displaced by floods, lead their livestock through flood waters on August 22, 2010 in the village of Baseera near Muzaffargarh in Punjab, Pakistan. The country's agricultural heartland has been devastated, with rice, corn and wheat crops destroyed by floods. Officials say as many as 20 million people have been effected during Pakistan's worst flooding in 80 years.

The Harper government pledged dollar-for-dollar aid for flood victims in Pakistan Sunday, and confirmed its disaster response team is on standby, but it steered clear of any suggestions that politics is driving its response to the humanitarian crisis.

The government has come under fire for its seemingly slow reaction to the flooding and devastation that began last month.

There have been suggestions that Pakistan's shaky political situation, and the perception its government has failed to adequately crack down on the Taliban within its borders, are contributing factors.

"You know I don't think this is the time for those types of questions. ..." Government House Leader John Baird said at a news conference Sunday morning.

He asked Canadians to focus instead on the "human devastation." He defended the government's actions, noting it has already pledged $33-million.

The government's new program will match individual donations by Canadians, dollar for dollar. It has set up the Pakistan Floods Relief Fund, which will be administered by the Canadian International Development Agency.

In addition, a Foreign Affairs spokeswoman confirmed Sunday that the Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) is on standby and "procedures are in place should the government of Pakistan request its deployment."

The DART was deployed to Haiti to assist in the recovery effort after the January earthquake.

However, the Canadian response so far in Pakistan has been nowhere near what it was in Haiti, or during the 2004 tsunami.

"In the case of Haiti, upwards of 200,000, a quarter of a million people, were killed in less than a minute some three hours from Canada," said Mr. Baird, in explaining the differences in Canadian donations and funding.

"Obviously, the flooding has been incredibly different. It has gotten progressively worse."

A coalition of four Canadian charities, for example, has raised $650,000 for Pakistan compared with more than $5-million raised for Haitian victims over the same time period.

But Kathy Brock, a Queen's University professor and expert on charitable giving, said the government's announcement Sunday will add "legitimacy to the cause by giving Canadians the assurance they need that the money is going to be spent effectively."

Opposition critics were grudging in their support for the initiative. Liberal foreign affairs critic Bob Rae said the announcement is "overdue" and he cautioned against overplaying the political story.

"My own sense is that we need to break through these perceptions," he said. "Political extremists will feast on any perception of abandonment. That means more engagement from all of us, not less."

The NDP sees it slightly differently, saying it believes Canadians are confused about Pakistan and where it sits on Stephen Harper's list of priorities.

"I think the location of Pakistan and its role in the Afghanistan conflict, perhaps, may have many Canadians wondering: 'Is this a disaster I want to support?' " NDP aid critic John Rafferty said.

"Since we've been in Afghanistan, Pakistan is spoken of in the same breath. ..."

Mr. Rafferty said he is calling for the DART deployment, while Mr. Rae said he has "heard concerns" in the community that the "government needs to move on allowing for family reunification as they did for Haiti."

Aid groups applauded the government's announcement.

"I think it's fantastic," said Pam Aung Thin of the Canadian Red Cross.

She and her colleagues at other aid organizations believe the slow response is due to a combination of factors, including the fact the tragedy unfolded so gradually compared with the immediate devastation of the Haitian earthquake last January, that it happened in the summer when Canadians are not paying as much attention to the news, and that it took place so far away from Canada.

Underlying that view are the political concerns.

"We don't know exactly what motivates Canadians," said Nicolas Moyer, the co-ordinator of the Humanitarian Coalition, which includes Care, Oxfam Canada, Oxfam Quebec, and Save the Children.

"Certainly there have been a number of factors that have kept them from donating. Maybe that is one of them."

He asked Canadians to keep in mind that the tragedy is affecting small-scale farmers and "people who are not involved in politics and having nothing to do with politics."

No dollar limit has been placed by the Canadian government on the amount of funds raised for the most recent program. It covers the period from Aug. 2 until Sept. 12. Traditionally these types of programs last for four weeks, Mr. Baird said, but this one extends over six weeks to account for the month-long Muslim holiday of Ramadan.

Interact with The Globe