CANADA will set up a temporary headquarters for the beleaguered Haitian government, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced on a visit to quake-devastated Port-au-Prince.

''The establishment of a temporary government administrative base is an important step towards early recovery and reconstruction efforts,'' Mr Harper said after meeting Haitian President Rene Preval and Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive.

A skull sits placedon the ruins of a building to denote bodies buried under the rubble. Credit:Getty Images

Mr Harper was on a two-day visit to assess the devastated country's needs after the January 12 earthquake, which killed at least 217,000 people.

The semi-permanent, $US11 million ($A12.3 million) operations base would be fully kitted out with Canadian computer hardware, communications systems, furniture, water supply and air-conditioning, officials said.