Truly remarkable feat undertaken by Canada at very short notice.
Don't let this become a political football in the end for partisan points.
Although it's already happened perhaps we can keep it down to a dull roar
Spending a lot of time channel hopping, I noticed only two (derogitory remarks. One by Dosanjh and the other by Ralph Goodale. Both are on tape, (CBC) so it's not hard to see the exact terminology they used.
How small can you get?

Why not sub contract work out to construction,telecom,and rcmp specialists to help,train Haitians themselves so they rebuild their country.Now is good time to get infratructure built up to code.Built by Haitians for Haitians.Let the cost be absorbed by the UN world community as a whole.

Joshua

Prior to the earthquake, there were exactly those efforts going on. Problem is that Haiti is a country with very few resources, and an undereducated workforce, so there is very little to sustain a functioning national economy. So progress was slow, but by some accounts Haiti had been making progress.

Then comes this earthquake, and they are now starting again from zero. Or less than zero maybe.

The immediate requirement right now is simply to get food, water and medical treatment to the survivors. Next is temporary shelter and basic sanitation.

I don't expect a serious rebuilding effort to get underway for months, and alot of discussions will be required over the nature of reconstruction (same unsafe buildings and shanties, or to code) and how it will be funded and executed.

It sure looks like the Haitians are going to have to go back to the drawing board.

Look at the number of relief agencies, first, they had in their country just to provide the basic amenities. The Haitian government wasn't providing health care, housing, road maintenance, water, etc., etc. Now, look at the number of agencies — and the years and years — it's going to take to just clean up the overwhelming mess after the earthquake, let alone to rebuild. Maybe I shouldn't even refer to “rebuilding,” seeing as that would assume an infrastructure on which to rebuild. There is no infrastructure.

Haiti is a hell hole, and has been for years. One hopes that perhaps after this monumental disaster, which has revealed the utter corruption and inadequacy of the government (if that was necessary), there will be an opportunity, as Joshua suggests, to build a city up to standard requirements by Haitians for Haitians. Let's leave the UN out of the equation, as they have their own problems with corruption.

It will be very difficult — I'm not saying impossible — for the people to shake off the culture of corruption and intertia, but if they don't and if they can't find a way with international help to move forward and to begin to work on their own behalf for a better standard of living, all the help they get now will be of little use to them.

Earthquakes kill. So does corruption.

It sure looks like the Haitians are going to have to go back to the drawing board.

Look at the number of relief agencies, first, they had in their country just to provide the basic amenities. The Haitian government wasn't providing health care, housing, road maintenance, water, etc., etc. Now, look at the number of agencies — and the years and years — it's going to take to just clean up the overwhelming mess after the earthquake, let alone to rebuild. Maybe I shouldn't even refer to “rebuilding,” seeing as that would assume an infrastructure on which to rebuild. There is no infrastructure.

Haiti is a hell hole, and has been for years. One hopes that perhaps after this monumental disaster, which has revealed the utter corruption and inadequacy of the government (if that was necessary), there will be an opportunity, as Joshua suggests, to build a city up to standard requirements by Haitians for Haitians. Let's leave the UN out of the equation, as they have their own problems with corruption.

It will be very difficult — I'm not saying impossible — for the people to shake off the culture of corruption and intertia, but if they don't and if they can't find a way with international help to move forward and to begin to work on their own behalf for a better standard of living, all the help they get now will be of little use to them.

Earthquakes kill. So does corruption.