Hurricane aid draws criticism
Canadian agencies urged to work as one to help Philippines
A group of prominent foreign aid experts is taking some of the country’s largest humanitarian organizations to task, saying Canadians lag citizens in other countries in terms of donating to disaster relief in the Philippines.
The Ottawa-based McLeod Group alleges such organizations as the Canadian Red Cross, UNICEF and World Vision are undermining fundraising efforts by directly competing with other aid groups instead of pooling all their efforts under one roof.
Five major Canadian humanitarian organizations did come together to form the Humanitarian Coalition in 2010 with the aim of giving Canadians a “one-stop shop” when it comes to donating during major international disasters.
“But some of Canada’s major relief agencies have refused to join, no doubt because now, instead of these five competitors, they have only one: the Coalition,” the McLeod Group wrote in an article published on their website Friday.
“The likely calculation is that they can do better outside than inside. Perhaps. But there are losers: the disaster victims that have been sacrificed to advertising costs, and individual Canadian donors who — in the face of competing claims — sit on their wallets.”
Figures compiled by the Humanitarian Coalition show British citizens have donated about $116 million to helping the Philippines, or approximately $1.27 per person.
Dutch citizens have donated about $43 million, or $1.79 per person, while the Swiss have donated nearly $30 million, or $2.51 per person.
In contrast, the government said Canadians had donated $20 million as of Nov. 18, or about 54 cents per person. That number is believed to have since grown to more than $25 million, which would be about 68 cents per person.
This lower figure is despite Canada having one of the largest Filipino communities in the world. The Filipino government says only the United States and Saudi Arabia have more than Canada’s 800,000 people of Filipino descent.
But Canadian Red Cross spokeswoman Nicole Robicheau said the numbers should be taken with a grain of salt as there are always many factors in play when it comes to donors in different countries responding to an international crisis.
Even though the British and Swiss Red Crosses are members of fundraising coalitions in their respective countries, Robicheau said operating alone in Canada gives the organization more flexibility while maintaining its neutrality, impartiality and independence.
Robicheau also rejected the McLeod Group’s allegations that Canadians aren’t opening their wallets, saying the Canadian Red Cross has received $21 million in donations for the Philippines.
The Humanitarian Coalition, which is comprised of Care Canada, Oxfam Canada, Oxfam Quebec, Plan Canada and Save the Children Canada, says it has raised about $4 million.
World Vision Canada executive vice-president Michael Messenger said there is no clear evidence having only one voice makes a huge difference when it comes fundraising.
“Our view is that actually having multiple voices raising awareness on the same emergency drives interest in encouraging Canadians to give,” he said. “I think there’s a benefit for people to have different voices.”
The federal government has extended the period in which it will match donations made to registered charities for relief in the Philippines to Dec. 23.