CIIA Toronto - Past Events

Event Summary:

Canada’s Response to the Tsunami Crisis
March 31, 2005
Croft Chapter House, University of Toronto
Summary by Benita Hansraj
On March 31, 2005, an audience of diplomats, government officials, members of the non-governmental community, and students, gathered at the Croft Chapter House at the University of Toronto. The event, hosted by the CIIA Toronto Branch, was dedicated to an in-depth discussion on the response of the Canadian government to the Asian Earthquake and Tsunami, which ravaged much of South East Asia on December 26, 2004.

A discussion on the response of the Canadian government and non-governmental community was timely as tremors rocked the area yet again on March 27, 2005, sending waves of panic throughout the globe.

The panel consisted of senior individuals familiar with events following the Tsunami. In attendance were John Watson, the President of CARE Canada; Piya Chattopadhyay of CBC Radio; and David Agnew, President, UNICEF Canada. They were faced with the difficult position of providing an assessment of the performance of the Canadian government and the NGO community in response to the disaster. John Watson notably highlighted his view that the response of both the Canadian Defense establishment and the government at large in the deployment of DART (Disaster Assistance Relief Team) to the region was inappropriate and inadequate.

Many of the panelists emphasized that greater discussion between the non-governmental community and foreign policy branches of government is necessary to coordinate effective crisis management for future disasters. There was also much commentary centered on the need of the Canadian government to focus more attention on foreign policy and Canada’s role in disaster relief. The audience was actively engaged and the event allowed for a thorough exploration of these issues.

View the event flyer: Flyer.