(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-08-15 09:38

OTTAWA -- Canada announced Thursday it is providing more than 31 million Canadian dollars ($31 million) in aid for the victims of the earthquake in China's southwestern Sichuan province.

The money is meant to match Canadians' private donations since the quake happened in May. Ottawa already committed 1 million Canadian dollars ($1 million) to the quake victims.

International Cooperation Minister Bev Oda announced Thursday that Canada is also matching more than 11.6 million for people affected by the cyclone Nargis in Myanmar, which killed nearly 85, 000 people in May.

The matching funds are being channelled through experienced humanitarian organizations, Oda told a press conference in Toronto.