Canada is providing up to $5-million in humanitarian assistance to help respond to the explosion in Beirut that has killed more than 135 people, injured thousands and left even more without their homes.
Ottawa will commit an initial $1.5-million to "trusted partners on the ground," including the Lebanese Red Cross, to help provide emergency medical services, shelter and food, International Development Minister Karina Gould said on Twitter Wednesday evening.
The money will be funnelled from the Canadian Red Cross to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, which will send the funds to its Lebanese branch. The rest of the $5-million will be sent in the coming days as the response warrants
