Canada defends Haiti reconstruction progress

Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannonon Monday urgedCanadians to be patient, sayingthe reconstruction projectis a "monumental task requiring a sustained effort and long-term commitment."

Cannon told reporters during a news conference in Ottawa on the six-month mark of the 7.0-magnitudeearthquake that it is not enough to restoreHaiti's infrastructure. He saidinstitutions and systems must be entirely rebuilt so they can be taken over by Haitians themselves with the support of the international community.

International Co-operation Minister Bev Oda said Canada has committed more than $1 billion to date for Haiti, and has already disbursed $150 millionfor humanitarian and early recovery work.

Oda acknowledged the frustrations over "slower-than-expected progress" being visible on the ground "may be understandable," but the international community must work to ensure the funds are being spent properly.

"Certainly, a great deal has been done,"the ministersaid. "I would say that you would see the basic humanitarian needs were met and they continue to be met."

The quake killed more than 300,000 people, by some estimates. The Red Crosssays ithas treated 135,000 people for injuries.

Fears over rainy season

More than one million people are living in hundreds of tent cities that have sprouted up across the countrysince the quake. Many Haitians are worried they'll be stuck in tent cities for the rest of their lives.

"Their situation is going to become precarious as the rains start, and therefore we need to switch the strategy which we are now doing from purely enabling people to survive in camps to helping them go home or go to alternative shelters," said Nigel Fisher, a Canadian with the UN stabilization mission in Haiti.

Aid agencies say they're struggling to feed the huge number of people who have been left with nothing.

"We are now feeding 1.2 million people and we would like to reach two million people through those different programs, and the other major challenge is to try to reinforce the governmental structure," said Benoit Thiry, deputy director of the World Food Program in Haiti.

Rubble will take years to clear

Meanwhile, whole sections of the capital, Port-au-Prince, are still clogged with rubble.

"What we see when we drive around Port-au-Prince is that the situation is pretty much as it was after the earthquake," Hans van Dillen, a head of mission with Mdecins Sans Frontires, known as Doctors Without Borders, said at a media briefing last Thursday from Haiti.

Some estimates say it could take 20 years to clear all the streets.

"Removing the rubble left behind by this disaster, reaching remote areas with building materials, and obtaining permissions to build from landowners remain our main challenges to providing sturdy shelter for families," said Conrad Sauv, secretary general of the Canadian Red Cross.

"Despite several obstacles, we have begun to build hurricane and earthquake resistant shelters," he said.