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Corporate Knights urges corporate Canada to match the valour of Haitian effort to Pakistan - Environmental Communication Options/Huff Strategy

Corporate Knights urges corporate Canada to match the valour of Haitian effort to Pakistan

Aug 20th, 2010 7:10 AM

Corporate Knights urges corporate Canada to match the valour of Haitian effort to Pakistan TORONTO, Aug. 19 - As devastating floods plunge Pakistan into what the UN has rated the greatest humanitarian crisis in recent history, Corporate Knights calls on corporate Canada to match the valour demonstrated in the aftermath of the Haitian earthquake, when 25 companies collectively gave over $3.5 million. To date, newswire.ca releases indicate only a small handful of Canadian companies have come forward, with a combined total of $160,000 (less than 1/20th of the amount given to Haiti) in donations to assist the world-class aid groups in their efforts to provide the people of Pakistan with emergency relief. While unlike Haiti, Canada does not share an official common language or hemisphere with Pakistan, figures from the 2006 Canadian Census from StatsCan indicate that there are about twice as many people of Pakistani (133,280) ancestry as there are Haitian (63,350). With such a rich Diaspora, every major Canadian company is connected to Pakistan through their employees, customers, and investors. Of about 15 million people affected by the floods, only about 1.2 million have access to safe water at the moment. The UN has laid out an initial emergency response plan, which at the present moment is only about 50 per cent funded. There are many reputable groups with a strong track record for effective use of aid dollars who are making pleas for funds to help in Pakistan, including the Red Cross and Médecins Sans Frontières. Canadian companies who have already stepped up to the plate include Rogers Communications (donated $50,000 and launched text-to-donate campaign), Bank of Montreal (donated $100,000, and along with eight other banks is accepting donations at all its branches to go toward the Red Cross Pakistan flood relief effort), and FaithLife Financial (donated $10,000). For more information, please contact: Tina Siegel, Environmental Communication Options 416.972.7401 About Corporate Knights: Founded in 2002, Corporate Knights Inc. is an independent Canadian-based media company focused on promoting and reinforcing sustainable development.