Chinese Canadians launch fund-raising drive for quake victims in China

Banggu Jiang, chairwoman of the Chinese Confederation of Sichuanese, told a Toronto news conference it has been a very emotional 24 hours since news of the quake first came out. She says Chinese Canadians who are worried about families and friends in China quickly realized they had to do something immediately.

Donations to the China-Sichuan Relief Fund will be accepted at Bank of China branches across the country. The account number is 04-00-90-72.

Toronto area Liberal MP Jim Karygiannis is calling on the Harper government for a commitment of $10 million for Chinese quake relief.

He also wants Ottawa to match dollar for dollar all the donations made by non-governmental organizations, and would like to see some leniency when it comes to immigration.

Karygiannis says the federal government expedited visa applications after the Asian tsunami of 2004 and should do the same for Chinese Canadians who want to bring family members from the quake zone to Canada.