Minister Sarai details Canada’s rapid Jamaica response

By Anthony Joseph

Canada’s Secretary of State Randeep Sarai returned to Ottawa this week after a three-day visit to hurricane-ravaged Jamaica, where he travelled alongside Greg Fergus, former Speaker of the House of Commons. In an exclusive interview with The Caribbean Camera, the minister detailed what he witnessed on the ground, an island still reeling from the unprecedented force of Hurricane Melissa, yet pushing forward with remarkable resolve.

Sarai described the situation bluntly. “It was a very severe storm, Category 5, and if there was a category higher, Melissa would have been it. It ripped the bark off trees. Entire communities were flattened.”

Yet, he said, even amid devastation, Canada’s support began “from the very first moment.”

“Canada was one of the first, if not the first, country in the Caribbean to respond,” Sarai explained. Seventy-seven members of the Canadian Armed Forces were deployed through Canada’s Operational Support Hub (OSH) in Kingston, which immediately established itself as a critical base for coordination.

Red Cross Canada mobilized supplies from its warehouses, while Canadian companies sent linemen to help restore electricity across the island. “The immediate need was food, shelter, and medical care for people who were trapped or had their homes destroyed,” Sarai said. “That was done right away.”

As he toured facilities across St. Ann, Kingston, and beyond, Sarai said he saw the second phase of recovery taking shape: restoring power and preparing longer-term shelters so that displaced families could leave temporary housing in schools and allow children to return to class.

With crops wiped out across major agricultural regions, Jamaica faces potential food shortages and inflationary pressure. The government is already prioritizing rapid agricultural replanting, and Canada is exploring ways to support those efforts.

Rebuilding, Sarai noted, will be “a multi-year effort,” with estimates surpassing $8 billion in total damage. Still, he pointed to one hopeful sign: climate-resilient infrastructure, much of it built with Canadian funding, performed remarkably well.

“Medical clinics and hospitals withstood the storm,” he said. “They had backup power, clean water, and were able to treat patients immediately. That’s proof that future infrastructure across the island must follow the same model.”

When asked about Canada’s Operational Support Hub, little known to many Canadians and Caribbean residents, Sarai explained its significance. The hub, built on land provided by the Jamaican government, functions as a rapidly deployable base equipped with bunks, command centres, washrooms, a small hospital, and logistics infrastructure.

“It can house up to 300 people,” he said. “Its role is to coordinate aid, receive supplies off planes and ships, and distribute them to groups like the Red Cross, World Food Programme, or Oxfam. In this crisis, it proved invaluable.”

Canadian Forces members will remain on the island until the humanitarian situation stabilizes.

The minister also addressed growing concerns that thousands of students may miss CSEC examinations due to displacement. While Jamaica has not yet requested Canadian assistance, he confirmed that the Ministry of Education is arranging transport for affected students to take exams in unaffected cities.

“They were working on ways to ensure no child loses a school year,” Sarai said. “If a request comes, Canada and Canadian NGOs will step up.”

Sarai said he was deeply moved by the generosity of the Jamaican-Canadian community.

“Everywhere we went, we heard about Canadians calling, sending money, flying in to volunteer,” he said. “Our $1.5-million matching program was filled almost immediately. Jamaicans know they can count on Canada.”

Though this was Sarai’s first trip to Jamaica, he said the country’s resilience left a lasting impact.

“It’s a beautiful nation, coastlines, mountains, microclimates. The people are warm, proud, and determined. This hurricane set them back, but I have no doubt they will rise again.”

He promised to share photographs of the Canadian Armed Forces personnel still working on the ground, images that capture not only devastation, but partnership and hope.

“Canadians stepped up,” he said. “And we’ll continue to stand with Jamaica every step of the way.”

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