Right after the explosion, Canada prompted to pledge millions of dollars in aid to support the disaster relief efforts in blast-stricken Beirut.
The friendly country’s minister of Foreign Affairs, François-Philippe Champagne, will now visit Beirut in a stand of solidarity before continuing a tour in Europe.
Canada is among Lebanon’s first supporters after this tragedy. It is also materializing as one of the most active in that regard, even dedicating a page on the official website of the Federal Government, called “Canada’s response to the crisis in Lebanon.“
The webpage has a “How to donate” button for the Canadians to contribute, and updates on the ongoing Canadian efforts for Lebanon.
On my way to #Beirut. Thanks to all Canadians for their generosity. You still have until tomorrow to show your support by donating to the #Lebanon Matching Fund, which our government will match.https://t.co/BMEJSXAifm pic.twitter.com/vdzdkzJsSQ
— François-Philippe Champagne (FPC) ?? (@FP_Champagne) August 23, 2020
In addition to pledging $30 million in assistance to Lebanon, and the donations that arrived this week in Beirut, the friendly country seeks to further show a stand of solidarity with a visit by its Minister of Foreign Affairs, François-Philippe Champagne.
Minister Champagne will inspect the site of the explosion, and meet with the Lebanese president, Michel Aoun, and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Charbel Wehbe.
He’s also planning to personally express Canada’s thanks for the first responders; the Lebanese, Canadian, and international humanitarian partners in Lebanon.
Minister Champagne has been pending as well of the Lebanese-Canadians Coalition‘s efforts for Beirut.
Honoured to have hosted w/ @karinagould & @melaniejoly a discussion between ??-?? community leaders & Ministers & MPs.
— François-Philippe Champagne (FPC) ?? (@FP_Champagne) August 21, 2020
We had the opp. to discuss the ways that ?? can support the people of ?? as they rebuild & push for economic & political reforms.
?? stands w/ the ppl of ??. pic.twitter.com/ecOGar2QFI
The coalition (LLC) was born right after Beirut Blast for the sole purpose of assisting effectively, and with focus, the devastated capital and its people.
The Lebanese in Canada have been indeed very active, whether through the coalition or with personal initiatives of fundraising and collecting donations, and restaurants dedicating part of their sales to help out.
The LCC has also invited more support from the federal government, which prompted the government’s matching fund initiative for Lebanon.
The LCC hasn’t been only active in Canada. A team headed by the co-founder Mohamad Fakih actually flew to Beirut in a 4-day visit, which was dedicated not to meetings and speeches but to supervising the distribution of the Canadian donations and to helping on the ground.
Work continues in #Beirut to recover from the devastating explosion. How can Canadians help? By donating to the @Humcoalition and its members until Aug. 24. Donations will be matched, dollar for dollar. ?: @UN
— Development Canada (@CanadaDev) August 20, 2020
How to give ? https://t.co/YT67WFIZuh #Lebanon #LebanonCrisis pic.twitter.com/X0FxowRAVB
