Updated: Wed Jan. 07 2009 4:57:58 PM

CTV.ca News Staff

Canada is donating $4 million in humanitarian relief to the embattled Gaza Strip, Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon announced Wednesday.

Cannon told reporters that $3 million of the Ottawa funding will go to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, while $1 million will go towards the Red Cross's work in Gaza.

The United Nations says thousands are without food, water and electricity in Gaza, which has been the subject of 12 days of Israeli bombardment.

Of the 39 Canadians trapped in Gaza, Cannon said the government was working on finding a solution for them to leave "as soon as safe conditions are in place."

Earlier in the day Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Peter Kent suggested they might be able to escape during a three-hour ceasefire that took place Wednesday.

Paul Dewar, the NDP foreign affairs critic, said it would impossible to say for sure if three hours would be enough time.

"There was an attempt to get the Canadians out the other day and it failed. I hope that (three-hour) time allotment would be sufficient, but we're in a war zone here," he said.

The ceasefire, the first of a proposed daily three-hour cessation of violence, passed Wednesday, but it doesn't appear the Canadians were able to leave.

Cannon said Canada is calling for an "immediate and durable" truce in the region and said he has been discussing with his fellow ministers from other countries, the possibility of brokering a peace deal.

He also reiterated Ottawa's position that the blame for the ongoing violence in the Gaza Strip rests firmly on the shoulders of Hamas -- which Canada considers a terrorist organization.

Earlier, Kent said Israel is only defending itself against the militants.

"Canada's position remains as it has for the past three years," Kent said. "Israel has a right to defend itself. Canada believes the Hamas rocket attacks were the cause of this crisis and are the principal reason why this crisis continues."

Dewar said both sides in the conflict share responsibility for the violence, and any ceasefire must have long-term commitments from the international community.

"Over the years, there has been this kind of sputtered approach, where the international community has turned their attention to what's happening when things get terrible, and then they turn away," said Dewar.

"We see now the results of that: the conflict has ramped up to the extent that civilians on both sides are paying the price."

He added that Canada could play a role in monitoring any sort of ceasefire agreement.

Comments are now closed for this story

Western Bias
Will this aid have to wait for the 3 hour break in Genocide in order to get to the people of Gaza?

Cambob
Gazans elected Hamas as their leaders. Most of those who didn't, fled to the West Bank. Why am I paying taxes to "support" Hamas?
Yes, it's terrible, but I'd rather donate money to struggling Canadians.

Ryan from Victoria, B.C
Israel has a right to exist in the eyes of Canada but not the Arab countries that surround it. Sending money to ease suffering is a good thing but this will never end. If Iran makes a move against Israel, we are all in trouble. I wish our Politicians could tell us how creating Israel and landlocking Palestine was a good idea?

Howard
Your choice of the word "genocide" is ironic, considering the people firing rockets into Israel are bent on nothing short of its complete erradication, to say nothing of the fact that Jews know more about that word than any group in living memory. Only Rwanda comes close, and is still 5.5 million victims short of the Jewish losses.

Post WWII, the Arabs don't want to help the Palestinians either - they're simply a pawn for all sides in the Mideast.

When Israel was created after WWII, Arab armies tried to wipe it out and told the Palestinians not to worry, that they'd have the land back shortly.

After being defeated in battle in 1948, 1956, 1967, 1973, in Lebanon and other engagements, the Arabs know that Israel can't be defeated, but still no one opens their arms to the Palestinians.

While I deplore the excessive use of force against civilians that Israel has deployed here, I think you need to keep a sense of perspective, and remember that there's two sides to every conflict.

Bernard Romanycia
The politics of looking good.

Dan in Orleans
$4M! That's it? Seems rather miserly given the dire condition these people are in. Canada is a vast, oil rich country. I suggest we could do more.

Ian- AB
This is ironic. Palestinians democratically elected Hamas. A political organization whose number one mandate is to wipe out everything Israeli from the face of the earth. Then as expected a war eventually breaks out. But; because Hamas felt it more important to buy explosives and bombs than food for its people... it's people begin to starve during the conflict. So who has to come and help... the west.

Wait for it folks. These people will get fed. Then they'll take to the streets burning Canadian and American flags. Calling the west a devil and how it needs to be wiped out from the face of the earth.

Ironic isn't it? I say if we want to send them food aid send everything made of pork. Beggers can't be choosers can they? Maybe if the Palestinians democratically elected government focused on food and medicine above bombs and rockets their people wouldn't be starving.

DON
THERE GOES OUR TAX MONEY AGAIN.

AndyL
Why are we sending aid? Not my conflict, not my country, not my problem. Let my tax dollars help people here.

Nick
4 million, now as I see it that money could have gone to the people of Canada and not to help someone eles, I know its horrible whats goin on over there but its not our fight, I think the people of canada that have lost there jobs or trying to make ends meat could have used that money just as much.

Big-Jim
Oh HELLO!

We have a recession going on here why is our money leaving the country????????????????
We need to take care of US first for once.
The Gaza Strip has nothing to do with Canada and fixing the mess WE are in.
Time to put aside the good Samaritan stuff for awhile till our problems here are dealt with!!!!!!!!!!!!!

beentheredonethat
I am with Andy L. What's the matter can't afford your own rockets? Why do they say there is Canadians there? I know there are people that have Canadian citizenship but never step foot in our country. Well until there is a war then they want to be Canadian. It never ends Canada you are a bleeding heart that get taken advantage of.

FED UP
What a crock...like four million will make a big change, I'm so sick and tired of helping those who creat there own problems. We should be spending that money on Canadians like others have mentioned.

Doug BC
Humanitarian aid is a good policy for Canada.People who think Canada has no role to play in global affairs are fooling themselves.There will be a day when we need allies.If we aren't willing to step up to help others then it will surely follow that we wopuld be on our own when disaster strikes here.
Yes,those funds could be used here.But the need appears to be much greater there.Canadians have no concept of what life is like living in total chaos.We can't even cope with winter weather,never mind a barrage of rockets and bombs raining down on us.
That said,everything possible must be done to be sure this money is used for food,shelter,and emergency aid FOR THE PEOPLE.It must not go to any government.
These people are no different from those in Africa,or south east Asia,or a host of other countries we have provided with relief in the past.
I think the use of the term "genocide" was not a good choice.Who would be guilty of that.Would it be those who advocate for the elimination of Israel,or those who think Hamas should be free to shower Israel with rockets from Gaza?Or would it be Israel's desire to protect their homeland??
THis is a war,for sure.But I seriously think you have to be quite partisan to apply the term genocide to this issue.Though I do concede that the interpretation of words can often be quite subjective.
Either way,innocent civilians in either country need to be fed and provided with emergency care.To ignore their plight would lower us all to the level of the terrorists we deplore so much.

Gilles
Why are WE sending them aid? Why not let the Hamas supporters who've given them guns and rockets do their share and send them aid. What a waste of my taxes.

Sue-NS
DougBC, well said. I'm actually amazed at everyone's comments that we should ignore what is going on and not try to help. We need to remember there are innocent people behind this whole political mess, that need our help.

Jason B (Calgary)
Everyone, please consider this. Whether you personally accept it or not, there are thousands of people throughout the world that depend on the aid Canada provides every single day to survive. If we started and stopped providing that aid whenever we wanted to, like a tap, how worthwhile would that aid end up being? For pennies a day, we provide hope to those who have noone else. That hope is easily lost if the consistency of aid is not maintained.

Most folks in Canada don't understand hope. They have never truly been without some form of survival assurance. Imagine watching everyone around you starving because for some reason those good people, with big smiles, don't come around in their big truck anymore. And they were all, and I mean ALL, you had.

Imagine!

B. Kelley, Ontario
I see nothing wrong with Canada providing funds for humanitarian aid in Gaza but not through the U.N.

Remember that this is the same organization that just paid millions of dollars for some artist to paint a mural on the ceiling in their New York Headquarters building. This is the same bunch whose previous leader was recently caught with his own and his son's hands in the cookie jar. And its the same organization that places reps from radical Muslim countries on human rights commissions. I wouldn't trust them for one second because most of our humanitarian contribution will likely get channeled to buy more rockets for Hamas rather than food and medicine for those truly in need.

Canadians just wanna be nice...
I am so confused...do we support Israel's response to the missile attacks or do we oppose it? By sending economic support to Gaza ergo Hamas, are we not sending mix messages about the situation?

Pick a stance and I will support it...don't sit on the fence and cater to both sides.

AndyL
Doug in BC:

I agree, Canada has done a lot of good in the past and should continue to do so. However, humanitarian aid should be sent under certain criterias.

1. Will the humanitarian aid help? Answer: NO, it will be in the hands of Hammas and be used for the wrong reasons.

2. Humanitarian aid should be sent to people who act like human beings. On this point, no middle eastern entity qualifies.

3. Help those who help themselves. Where is the humanitarian aid from the oil rich arab countries??? If they won't help their own why should we.

So again, not by conflict, not my country, not my problem.

Lela in Cambridge
Canada helped create this war and this disaster with past and present support for Israeli via funding, political and diplomatic support and military assistance.

AndyL: Listen, Mr.'let them go back where they came from' ... I appreciate your verbage because your ignorance and bigotry disturbingly permeates our society.

As a Christian Arab-Canadian, you'll probably be shocked to learn that I believe we should be limiting foreign aid and contributing more of our tax money to our own nations people as well however, when we break it then we own it. If we dont want to help those poor people in Gaza than stop helping Israel commit war crimes against those same people. Period.

Let your representatives know this, as I have.

M Perez - Kitchener
$4M !! I guess this would about 1% or less of the destruction caused by the Israeli bombardment.

Bombardment strongly supported the Canadian government and in doing so, Harper's government support destruction and killing of innocent civilians.
Israel receives USA $3 billion every year

Joseph in Toronto
I agree with Big Jim and FED-UP. We should be spending that money in dealing with our own issues given the state of our economy.

Besides, where is the money really going? Probably to produce and manufacture more rockets to fire into Israel.

Anti-Propaganda
Its quite sad how ignorant most Canadians are to the situation in Gaza.

Hamas is more than a militant wing. The reason Hamas was freely elected by the Palestinian people is because they are also responsible for police, schools, hospitals, food banks, and rebuilding what Israel destroys.

Gaza has been occupied for over 60 years. Power and phones have been cut off, people are not allowed to move freely or leave the Gaza.

Gaza is one of the most densely populated areas in the world with 11,000 people packed into every square mile.

How people can support Israel when the UN has been asking them for over 60 years to return the land to the Palestinians is beyond me.

Perhaps it is the extreme bias in our western media.

Toronto
Wonderful.... people elect a Terrorist organization who constantly bombs another country and publicly decries that their neighbour should not exist and we send them $4 million?
Our government does not negotiate with terrorists... we just support them!

vanessa from montreal
In all honesty... seriously I cannot believe the comments I have been reading here.. I am in all honesty sick to my stomach with the blatantly racist by my fellow canadians. HELLO... they have not set foot in the country.. First of all to get the Canadian passport and citizenship you need to have stayed in Canada for at least 3 years. So read your immigration law correctly.

Second of all, dual-nationality is a FACT and a right of ALL Canadians. So these Canadians living there, should not be considered less Canadian than US.

Thirdly, to be in a Recession you need to be 3 terms in a row in negative growth. Not our case yet. Fourth, 4 Million is nothing for what they need there. And Canada is a providence state... and a model in the world. So if we're fighting taliban, and spending millions for a futile war, why not help Palestinians that have nothing. Shouldn't we get our facts straight, and do things right for once.

Matt
I think we should provide humanitarian aid to the civilians caught in this conflict.

However, unless this issue can be discussed, it will never be resolved peacefully.

With our own government unions (CUPE) trying to silence and punish intelligent debate, will progress ever be made?

Rob NS
There are two sides to every conflict, I totally agree. But we are giving millions of dollars to one side, which is hinting that we support Hamas...which the vast amount of the free world do not! Let's try to be careful how our aid money is spent...water and food for civilians, great! Rockets so Hamas can continue this crazy conflict....not so great....
Hopefully the good people of Gaza will come to their senses and not vote in a terrorist organization for a second term!

MHB
To Ian- AB: you are getting things totally wrong. Palestinians did not elect Hamas because it wants to wipe out Israel. Rather, they voted for Hamas because their politcal opponent Fatah was becoming corrupt. The Palestinians want to live in peace in their own state but I guess that Israel will never make this happen!.

Matlewy
Rather than giving money how about taking a stand against aggression by both sides?