Canadian evacuees from Haiti to arrive in Montreal

The first Canadian evacuees from Haiti are expected to arrive in Montreal Thursday night.

Two Canadian military Hercules aircraft are expected to arrive at Trudeau airport. The first, expected to arrive around 10:00 p.m., will be carrying 100 evacuees, officials said.

The number of evacuees aboard the second flight, expected to arrive around 12:00 a.m., was not known.

A third plane, privately chartered by Sunwing Vacations, is also expected to arrive earlier in the evening from the Dominican Republic, but it was unclear whether any evacuees from Haiti would be on board.

The operation is similar to one that was launched in the summer of 2006 as hundreds of Canadians fled the conflict in Lebanon, said Montreal Mayor Gérald Tremblay.

"We’re going to be there tonight to tell them, 'Listen, we’re happy that you’re back,'" Tremblay said.

Quebec Premier Jean Charest said the experience in 2006, during which he said an estimated 13,000 people arrived in Montreal, would serve the province well in preparing for the arrival of the Haitian evacuees.

"It will be different from the situation in Lebanon because we did not have a lot of injured people but in this case we do expect some," Charest said.

Meanwhile, Canadian officials continue to co-ordinate efforts to help those on the ground in Haiti.

Tremblay and Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon met with members of the Haitian community in Montreal on Thursday to offer their sympathies to people who have been affected by the "terrible events" in Haiti.

Cannon said he updated community members on government initiatives and humanitarian aid efforts being organized.

Tremblay added that Montreal is working with senior levels of government to co-ordinate aid to the devastated country.

He said the city had established a "crisis cell" and is helping direct financial resources to charities such as the Red Cross.

Charest said 126 police officers from the province, 101 of whom have previous experience in Haiti, as well as 12 teams with search and rescue dogs are ready and willing to go.

Three officers from the RCMP, Quebec Provincial Police and Montreal Police are already on the ground to prepare for their arrival, Charest said.

A team of six health-care workers is also expected to depart Friday to staff a Red Cross field hospital, Charest said.

Charest said the province would also provide Haiti with financial assistance.

"We will be there for the short, medium and long term," Charest said. "Quebec will stay with the Haitian people."

The priorities on the ground in Haiti include re-establishing communication and reopening the airport, Tremblay said.

"There’s a lot of emotions and there’s a lot of stress," Tremblay said. "And people sitting here behind me want to have news about their loved ones, and that is a priority."

The Canadian government is also looking into accelerating the immigration process for Haitians who have family members living in Canada, Cannon said.

He encouraged Canadians to give generously to efforts to provide assistance in Haiti.

"Canadians have demonstrated incredible hospitality and warmth towards the Haitian community as well as towards Haiti," Cannon said.