Way to go Canada. 7 million for Haiti in just an hour or two. Let's not forget that our Gov't will match that up to 50 million. Take them up on that. It's one thing that im glad my tax dollars go for. Helping people in need. My cell phone dictates that I add $20 dollars a month so I don't lose my total. What a way to spend it down. I, as I hope you all will, will realise that it will take years to rebuild this country. A question, what if it happend here?

I agree a good way for average Canadians to make their contributions. I like the idea of using up unused cell phone dollars/minutes. I have an emergency phone I hardly ever use and this will work for that. Thanks.

That is awesome, I am totally on board with sending funds to Haiti especially when you see all the children and wonder if they still have parents.

Haiti needs to send some of the children to their adoptive parents in Canada NOW.....get them out!!!!!!

Its just grand if people wish to support Haiti with their dollars. I always thought that my tax money was for governments to provide services and civic infrastucture development.
Federal government gives 50 million and our friends in victoria have donated 500 thousand and we are closing schools and leaving our poor out on the street. What will we do when the big one hits the coast of our province
Its such a nice sunny day just want to make your day even better.
Cheers

Don't worry, retired, the 50 million from the Feds and 500 thousand from BC won't ever leave Canada.

It'll be spent right here to buy Canadian goods and services for delivery to Haiti.

It'll employ Canadians in producing or providing those goods and services, whose employment to the same extent would otherwise be un-needed.

We can "give" those goods and services absolutely free to the Haitians in their hour of need, just the same way we, and a number of other countries have also continually "given" them goods and services previous to this disaster.

I say "given" because there is no way they could ever have paid us for them ~ the debt they incurred in purchasing them has to be (and has been, thanks to the earthquake providing a credible excuse) written off. From this write-off they'll save the annual interest they would've had to pay on their ever growing debt (until it too can't be paid, and has to be written off.)

We need countries like Haiti more than they need us. They are a 'dumping ground' for our surplus production we can't dispose of in any other way in our own economy ~ at least not so long as the overall policy governing that economy is to try to have "full employment", and individually, to "let no man eat who has not first worked".

I sure hope you're right socredible!
It only makes sense.
The thought of all that money going to a handful of aid groups in Haiti worries me.
I hope that isn't happening.
I just read where the big wheel at World Vision makes well over 600 thousand a year...and others at the top of the organisation make nice wage as well!
I don't want a dime of my money going to them!

I have to agree with retired. I pay taxs, I did not agree to pay to rebuild another country. What about mine. I pay to help keep this country the way it is. What about the kids in this country. They are closing schools. I could use that money to help pay a hospital to help the people of my community. They are hurting too.

just like I did not agree to pay for the Olympic party, that I cannot attend.

Well said smileyfacetoyou!

You can rest assured the head of World Vision Canada won't be spending his C$ 600 thousand stipend in Haiti, Andy. Unless he holidays there after the place has been rebuilt ~ in which case he'll be buying some Haitian money with some of his Canadian funds. Regardless, the C$ will still be spent in Canada.

The money collected in Canada, or provided from our taxes, won't be going to Haiti as 'money'.

It will be spent here, in this country, to purchase things requested by the Haitian government or various aid groups working there. For export "free" of those things to Haiti. Aside from the humanitarian aspect, the provision of international disaster relief aid is almost as good a method as having a war in immediately aiding the donor country's economy.

It creates economic activity in Canada. And will, in a perverse way, aid us 'financially' in keeping schools and hospitals open here when both would otherwise be strapped "because there is no 'money'" being created due to a lack of economic activity. (Yet if there's "no money", how then can there BE any economic activity?)

how about we ship them some smoked salmon,
or prefab houses out of pine.

Maybe we will. Using the money that's been collected to pay for those products. Canadian 'money' is about as much use in Haiti as Mexican pesos, or Euros, or Japanese yen would be in Canada. Our money is ultimately only good as 'effective demand' for Canadian goods and services.

Even if we sent Canadian 'money' to Haiti, it would have to be converted to Haitian money to enable anyone to buy anything there. And it would still only be useful to the Haitian central bank that did the converting as payment for goods or services imported from Canada.