Last week's devastating earthquake in Haiti provoked a powerful response from a number of states and humanitarian organizations. Private donations poured in by the tens of millions of dollars.
The international community is now looking ahead to the massive and costly reconstruction that has been called the "Marshall Plan for Haiti." Dominican President Leonel Fernandez claims that such a plan would cost at least $10 billion.
To start the ball rolling, a conference of international donors will be held Monday in Montreal to try to come up with a "clear, common vision," as Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon said optimistically.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, French Foreign Affairs minister Bernard Kouchner, and ministers from Mexico, Brazil, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic and others are set to attend.
Premier Jean Charest also asked Ottawa for Quebec to have a seat at the conference. One reason is that 90 per cent of Canadians of Haitian origin live here. Such a situation creates a special responsibility for the government of Quebec.
It's also because of the close rapport that has developed here over the years with Quebecers of Haitian origin. Witness the grief and numerous acts of solidarity and generosity that sprung up instantly and keep going and going.
Sure, there's always something "political" in what politicians do, especially with heads of governments. But in this case, Charest's demand appears to be less about opportunism and more about the need to represent the interests of this community as well as take part in the international effort in Haiti itself.
Another sign of this closeness is the speed with which citizens, experts and even former civil servants asked Ottawa to relax its immigration rules and extend the family reunification process to sisters, brothers, aunts, and uncles. Opposition parties in Ottawa have backed that request as well.
So far, federal Immigration Minister Jason Kenney, fearing setting a precedent, has refused to relax those rules. So yesterday, Quebec Immigration Minister Yolande James announced that Quebec would use a clause in the Quebec-Canada immigration agreement for humanitarian reasons. In an unprecedented move, Quebec will temporarily extend the categories within the family reunification program and allow more Quebecers to sponsor Haitians stranded by the earthquake.
Although the details of this new program and the number of Haitians affected remain to be outlined, James said that even with this special measure, Quebec wouldn't accept more than its maximum of 50,000 immigrants a year.
Fearing uncontrollable costs, James said sponsors would also have to prove that they can cover all the expenses of those they will be sponsoring.
This means, she said, that if more Haitians immigrate here, there will be fewer applicants from other countries accepted, which is understandable in such an exceptional situation.
With this latest move, the government's message is clear: If Ottawa stays put, Quebec will act. So it's no wonder that Charest wants Quebec to have a seat at Monday's international conference.
Sure, some see standing up to Ottawa as an easy way of scoring political points here. But this appears to be more about substance than strategy.
This was also the case in Copenhagen, where there were very real differences of vision between the Quebec and federal governments.
While there's enough negative and opportunistic politicking out there these days, when something gets done in the name of the public good for humanitarian reasons, let it be.
If anything is currently being done by the government that has more to do with politics than substance, it's that "meeting" on the economy it held yesterday in Lévis.
It was a complete waste of time and a classic exercise in public relations.
Politicking also explains the government's stubborn refusal to create an independent commission of inquiry into allegations of collusion, corruption, and outrageous cost overruns in the construction industry, even though it keeps claiming that Quebec's public finances need to be kept in check.
Now that's politics. The need to help Haitians is about something else. And whether or not Quebec attends Monday's conference, it will continue to help.