Canada–Haiti relations

 

Canada-Haiti relations

Canada	Haiti

Canada–Haiti relations are relations between Canada and Haiti. During the unsettled period from 1957 to 1990, Canada received many Haitian refugees, who now form a significant minority in Quebec. Canada participated in various international interventions in Haiti between 1994 and 2004, and continues to provide substantial aid to Haiti,

Historical background

Haiti is in the west of the island of Hispaniola. In 1797 Toussaint Louverture led a successful revolt against the French and made Haiti the first independent Caribbean nation, although government was unsettled until 1915, when the United States occupied the island. The United States left the island in 1934, returning it to a form of democracy.

Canada is a member of the Francophonie, or community of French-speaking countries, as is Haiti. Canada plays an active role in peacekeeping (or peacemaking) around the world.

Canada and Haiti only officially established diplomatic relations in 1954 when Edward Ritchie Bellemare was appointed Chargé d'Affaires of the Canadian Embassy in Haiti. From 1957 to 1986, the Duvalier family reigned as dictators. They created the private army and terrorist death squads known as Tonton Macoutes. Many Haitians fled to exile in the United States and Canada, especially French-speaking Quebec. In the 1991 Canadian census, nearly 44,000 people described themselves as being of Haitian origin. By 2006, Canada had over 100,000 residents of Haitian origin.

Canadian operations in Haiti

A list of Canadian operations in Haiti follows:

• Operation HORATIO World Food Programme, September 2008
• Haiti 2004-4 December 2004
• Haiti 2004-3 October 2004
• Haiti 2004-2 October 2004
• Haiti 2004-1 September 2004
• Operation HAMLET United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), August 2004–present
• Operation HALO MINUSTAH, March–August 2004
• Operation HALO Multinational Interim Force, February–July 2004
• Haiti 1999 December 1999
• Operation STANDARD June 1996–July 1997
• Operation DIALOGUE January–December 1994
• Operation CAULDRON September 1993–June 1996
• Operation FORWARD ACTION October 1993–September 1994
• Haiti 1989 January–October 1989
• Operation BANDIT January–February 1988
• Haiti 1963 May 1963

1993 international intervention

Following the overthrow of the Duvalier regime, Haiti went through a period of political and economic turmoil. UN sponsored forces repeatedly intervened in an attempt to stabilize the situation. The Canadian government refused to recognize the 1988 Haitian national elections, which were marred by violence that left at least 34 people dead, and stated they were thinking of cutting $15 million in development aid.

Jean-Bertrand Aristide won a fresh election in December 1990, but after a coup d'état in September 1991 he fled the country. Political chaos ensued. In June 1993, Prime Minister Brian Mulroney of Canada told President Bill Clinton that Canada was ready to send troops to enforce a blockade around Haiti. Later that year, Canada assisted in the United Nations Mission in Haiti, a peacekeeping operation carried out by the United Nations between September 1993 and June 1996.

The Force Commander from March to June 1996, Brigadier-General J.R.P. Daigle was Canadian. Daigle continued as commander of the United Nations Support Mission in Haiti (1996–1997), and the Canadian Général Robin Gagnon led the subsequent United Nations Transition Mission in Haiti (1997). Canada also provided the Police Commissioners between October 1993 and February 1996, and contributed police officers to the United Nations Civilian Police Mission in Haiti (1997–2000).

In 2000, with Haiti more stable, Jean-Bertrand Aristide was again elected, although his second term of office was marked by accusations of corruption.

2004 international intervention

In February 2004 President Jean-Bertrand Aristide resigned (or was forced from power). The Multinational Interim Force (MIF) was authorized by the UN Security Council to deploy in Haiti immediately to keep the peace. Of the 2,700 troops initially deployed, Canada contributed 125. By April, the Canadian contingent led by Lt.-Col. Jim Davis had risen to 500. There has been controversy about Canada's involvement in the international intervention in 2004, with several commentators stating that Canada was complicit in the overthrow of a democratically elected government.

The United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti was established later in 2004 as a successor to the MIF. Since then, Canadian contributions have been limited to a 100 police officers and a small number of liaison officers. In June 2005, the Canadian government warned Canadians to avoid visiting Haiti due to the increasingly deteriorating security situation.

In 2006 Canada assisted in international efforts to help Haiti complete its first full electoral cycle since its constitution entered into force in 1987. The Government of Canada through the Canadian International Development Agency contributed nearly $40 million for the electoral process, providing observers and technical assistance. The Governor General of Canada, Michaëlle Jean (herself of Haitian origin) attended the inauguration of President René Préval on May 14, 2006, as the Canadian representative.

In July 2007, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper visited Haiti, including a visit to a Canadian-funded hospital in the crime-ridden Cité Soleil slum.

Current Situation

A large number of Canadian development workers are present in Haiti, including hundreds of missionaries working primarily in the health and education sectors.

As of 2009, Haiti is the second largest recipient of Canadian aid after Afghanistan. As of 2008, Canada had committed $555 million to Haiti over five years. In February 2009, the Canadian government announced it will focus foreign aid on 20 countries or regions where it hopes to have a bigger impact, including Haiti. In addition to official aid, Haitian immigrants in Canada sent about $248 million of remittances to their families in Haiti in 2006.

See also

• Foreign relations of Haiti
• Foreign relations of Canada
• Haitian immigration to the United States and Canada
• Haitian Canadians