Statement from the Governor General following Haiti earthquake

"Like me, Haitian communities across Canada are heartbroken and overwhelmed by the magnitude of this catastrophe. The images and news reports are unbearable to watch. So much distress, suffering and loss. We are also, of course, imagining the worst, situations no image can capture that only increase our feeling of helplessness. I salute the friendship and solidarity being demonstrated all across Canada and throughout the international community."

Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean, Governor General of Canada, attended an important meeting in the presence of the Right Honourable Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada, the Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence, and the Chief of the Defence Staff General Walter J. Natynczyk to discuss Canada's disaster relief efforts in Haiti.

During the meeting held at the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade in Ottawa, the Governor General explained the magnitude of the tragedy that once again struck Haiti.

Following the meeting, the Governor General delivered a statement to the media in attendance.

"Yesterday, fate once again turned against the people of Haiti, who had only just begun to see a glimmer of hope. I would first like to say that my husband, Jean-Daniel, our daughter Marie-Éden and I are all thinking about the victims, the countless families who have been affected and are in mourning, and all those who, like us, are so worried about their loved ones and friends in Haiti."