TORONTO - About two dozen members of Toronto's Haitian community turned out for a "March for Hope" for Haiti on Monday to draw attention to ongoing needs in the earthquake-stricken country.

Organizers had expected a larger crowd of about 200 people to march from Toronto City Hall to the Ontario legislature for prayers and speeches.

Rosemary Sadlier, president of the Ontario Black History Society, asked the crowd for a moment of silence to remember the victims.

It was important to attend the event at the start of Black History Month, she said.

The demonstrators want Ottawa to widen the definition of family class so they can sponsor more extended family members from Haiti.

Currently spouses, dependent children, parents, grandparents and orphaned family members such as brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews or grandchildren under 18 are considered immediate family members under immigration rules.

The government says relaxing the rules further would lead to a flood of applicants and the cost of integrating them into Canadian society would be unsustainable.

"I think the two levels of government, Ontario and the federal government need to listen to the Haitian people about speeding refugee claims and families having a chance to be grouped together again in Canada," said lawyer John Liss, 62, who doesn't know anyone in Haiti but learned about the march in an Internet posting.

Sales manager Stephanie Louis, 30, who also took part in the march, agrees. Her cousin is a doctor in Haiti who's treating victims. He lost his house in the quake.

Organizer Karine Morin, whose cousin suffered an amputation and died and whose aunt remains missing in Haiti, said before the march that organizers also want Canada to airlift critically injured Haitians to Canada.

The response from Canadians, who have donated $112 million to relief efforts, has been incredible, Morin said.

"There's no borders to this world. We're all brothers and sisters and that's the feeling I get from the community in Toronto."

Foreign Affairs said there are 26 confirmed Canadian deaths and 107 Canadians unaccounted for following the quake.