OTTAWA — The federal government is expected to announce as early as late Wednesday that it will match every dollar individual Canadians contribute to a registered charity responding to devastating flooding in Pakistan.

The announcement follows days of stepped-up pleas from Canadian aid organizations that say the pace and size of donations for the worsening situation in Pakistan has been slow compared to such tragedies as the Haiti earthquake.

Officials were rushing to get details of the matching fund nailed down before Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon heads to New York on Thursday to participate in a hastily-arranged conference at the United Nations on how to best meet the burgeoning needs of Pakistan as the floodwaters continue to wipe out villages, roads, bridges and lives.