Canadian government boosts relief aid to storm-battered Haiti

Canada has committed to sending an additional $5 million worth of humanitarian aid to Haiti, where hundreds have been killed and thousands left homeless from flooding created by a series of powerful tropical storms.

In a statement Tuesday, the Foreign Affairs Department said the money will be used to provide food, health care and shelter to residents of the impoverished island.

Canada contributed $600,000 to Haitian relief efforts earlier this month.

Foreign Affairs said the military is dispatching two of its officers to the Haitian capital of Port-Au-Prince to assist aid workers and said more support is available if needed.

The statement made no mention of whether the government is considering deploying the Disaster Assistance Response Team, known as DART. The military unit is made up of about 200 soldiers who provide short-term help such as medical assistance and water purification.

In a deadly hurricane season that has killed 413 people in the Caribbean and the United States so far, Haiti has been particularly hard hit.