Ottawa extends deadline for Syria relief

OTTAWA— Photographs of starving children in Syrian villages are reminders that the human toll of the civil war in that country still needs to be addressed, the international aid minister and humanitarian agencies said Thursday in urging Canadians to continue to support relief efforts.

To encourage that, the Liberal government will extend to Feb. 29 the deadline for people to donate to overseas Syrian relief and have those dollars matched by the government, International Development Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau said.

“I have no doubts Canadians will continue to rise to the occasion and give to those most in need,” she said.

About $12 million has been donated since the previous government announced the creation of the matching fund in September. That came after 3-year-old Alan Kurdi died as his family tried to reach Europe.

By comparison, a matching fund announced for the 2010 earthquake in Haiti raised $220 million.

Aid agencies acknowledged Thursday that the effort to resettle 25,000 Syrian refugees in Canada has to some degree hampered efforts to raise money for overseas work. They asked the government late last year to extend the matching funds deadline, saying Canadians needed to be reminded they could also help Syrians abroad.

The influx of refugees to Canada also helps, said Gillian Barth, chief executive officer of CARE Canada. As of Jan. 6, 6,974 Syrians had arrived.

“Now that (Canadians) have a face to put to the conflict, they understand a little bit more,” she said. “And now I think the messaging is important to get to them — you’ve seen them here, they still have family in Syria, it’s important that we help support them because the needs there are tremendous.”