B.C. pledges $8 million to victims of earthquake, tsunami

VICTORIA (CP) - British Columbians will provide $8 million in aid to the victims of the deadly tsunamis in Asia, Premier Gordon Campbell said Wednesday.
"Obviously this is a tragedy on such an enormous scale that it touches us all, especially those who have special ties to the countries that have been impacted by the earthquake and tsunamis," Campbell said in a telephone interview from Hawaii, where he is on vacation.

The premier said the $8 million would go directly to the Canadian Red Cross "to provide immediate assistance to the region."

B.C. is Canada's "gateway" to the Pacific, he said, so it is important that the province show leadership.

The B.C. Centre for Disease Control and the province's health emergency response network also are working to see how B.C. can be most effective in providing assistance to the countries affected, said Campbell.

"British Columbia is a province that has always taken great pride in its multiculturalism and the vital multicultural community that we have, and much of that community comes from the southern Asian part of the globe."

Campbell urged all provinces to send as much aid to the stricken areas as they could afford.

"I think all Canadians will reach out to try to contribute.

"British Columbia has a special role to play here. We are Canada's Pacific province and we have special connections with that part of the world."

© The Canadian Press, 2004