
Canada shares blame for Haiti's mess Yves Engler \|\| February 22, 2006 Related - The Canadian Corporate Nexus in Haiti We broke it, so now we must fix it. In an important foreign policy test, the new Conservative government must come to terms with the shameful legacy of Canada's role in Haiti over the past five years. This week's Haitian election, with its suspiciously delayed count, its crushed ballot boxes with thousands of completed ballots found at a garbage dump, its banning of the most popular political party and jailing of its leaders, its let's decide in the middle of the night to "reach agreement on a winner," should be an embarrassment to every Canadian taxpayer. We paid for this mess to the tune of more than $30 million. But, incredibly, the farcical Haitian election is only the tip of another Liberal party scandal. The governments of Jean Chretien and Paul Martin used up much of Canada's international good image with their policies toward that Caribbean nation. Relying on the knowledge that most Canadians pay little attention to foreign affairs, the Liberals, members of the Haitian elite who have many Montreal connections, and the International Republican Institute, worked to undermine the government of president Jean-Bertrand Aristide. (Mr. Aristide has the unique distinction of being twice elected with overwhelming mandates only to be twice ousted by armed thugs.) After Mr. Aristide was elected president for the second time in 2000, the Liberals withdrew Canadian aid to his government. Instead, they channelled funds through CIDA to so-called non-governmental organizations, which, almost without exception, opposed Aristide and his Lavalas party. In the name of "democracy building," these organizations worked to undermine the elected government. At the diplomatic level the Chretien government supported U.S.-sponsored Organization of American States negotiations designed to give Haiti's marginal opposition parties effective control over $500 million of international assistance, or over half of the Haitian government's budget. Article Posted at www.KnowledgeDrivenRevolution.com Of course, the impact was devastating. At the beginning of 2003, then minister for La Francophonie and secretary of state for Africa and Latin America, Denis Paradis, organized a meeting in Ottawa to discuss Haiti's future. A French minister, the OAS and the Bush administration were invited to discuss Haiti's future. No one from Haiti's elected government was asked to attend. According to leaked information obtained by L'Actualite, it was decided at the Jan. 31, 2003 meeting that "Aristide must go." Mr. Paradis denied this, but 13 months later Canadian troops secured the Port au Prince airport the day Aristide claims he was kidnapped by U.S. Marines. Canada has since supported an unelected Haitian government. About 550 troops remained until August 2004, then Canada took command of the 1,700-member UN police force, which includes around 100 Canadians. They are supposed to train and assist Haiti's police, the force that has been accused of brutalizing the unelected regime's opponents. Peaceful demonstrators have been killed on numerous occasions. In one particularly gruesome attack, on Aug. 20, 2005, Haitian police shot and killed at least six spectators at a Port au Prince soccer game. Two years after helping overthrow Haiti's elected government, Canada was paying for an election. Incredibly, Canada's chief electoral officer and head of the International Mission for Monitoring Haitian Elections, Jean-Pierre Kingsley, was quoted last week as saying "These [elections] were better than anything they've done in Haiti in the past." He said this despite the number of voting centres being reduced from 12,000 during the 2000 elections to 804 this time around, with none in Cite Soleil, a slum neighbourhood of more than a quarter million citizens. He said this even though Mr. Aristide's Lavalas party was blocked from registering Catholic priest Gerard Jean-Juste as their presidential candidate, because he was in jail, a prisoner of conscience, according to Amnesty International. Hundreds of other political prisoners remain behind bars. New Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay should establish a public inquiry into Canada's role in Haiti. This country should support a democratic Haitian government that works to improve the lives of the poor majority. Canada should target its resources through that government in the areas of reforestation, education and health care. Canada should help Haitians build a democracy that works for them. Yves Engler is the author of two recent books: Canada in Haiti: Waging War on the Poor Majority (with Anthony Fenton) and Playing Left Wing: From Rink Rat to Student Radical. About KDR \| \| Home \| \| Weekly Features Archive	Weekly Weekly Features Archive
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Canada shares blame for Haiti's mess

Yves Engler || February 22, 2006

Related - The Canadian Corporate Nexus in Haiti

We broke it, so now we must fix it.

In an important foreign policy test, the new Conservative government must come to terms with the shameful legacy of Canada's role in Haiti over the past five years.

This week's Haitian election, with its suspiciously delayed count, its crushed ballot boxes with thousands of completed ballots found at a garbage dump, its banning of the most popular political party and jailing of its leaders, its let's decide in the middle of the night to "reach agreement on a winner," should be an embarrassment to every Canadian taxpayer. We paid for this mess to the tune of more than $30 million.

But, incredibly, the farcical Haitian election is only the tip of another Liberal party scandal.

The governments of Jean Chretien and Paul Martin used up much of Canada's international good image with their policies toward that Caribbean nation.

Relying on the knowledge that most Canadians pay little attention to foreign affairs, the Liberals, members of the Haitian elite who have many Montreal connections, and the International Republican Institute, worked to undermine the government of president Jean-Bertrand Aristide. (Mr. Aristide has the unique distinction of being twice elected with overwhelming mandates only to be twice ousted by armed thugs.)

After Mr. Aristide was elected president for the second time in 2000, the Liberals withdrew Canadian aid to his government. Instead, they channelled funds through CIDA to so-called non-governmental organizations, which, almost without exception, opposed Aristide and his Lavalas party. In the name of "democracy building," these organizations worked to undermine the elected government.

At the diplomatic level the Chretien government supported U.S.-sponsored Organization of American States negotiations designed to give Haiti's marginal opposition parties effective control over $500 million of international assistance, or over half of the Haitian government's budget.

Article Posted at www.KnowledgeDrivenRevolution.com

Of course, the impact was devastating.

At the beginning of 2003, then minister for La Francophonie and secretary of state for Africa and Latin America, Denis Paradis, organized a meeting in Ottawa to discuss Haiti's future. A French minister, the OAS and the Bush administration were invited to discuss Haiti's future. No one from Haiti's elected government was asked to attend. Haiti Voter Registration

According to leaked information obtained by L'Actualite, it was decided at the Jan. 31, 2003 meeting that "Aristide must go." Mr. Paradis denied this, but 13 months later Canadian troops secured the Port au Prince airport the day Aristide claims he was kidnapped by U.S. Marines.

Canada has since supported an unelected Haitian government. About 550 troops remained until August 2004, then Canada took command of the 1,700-member UN police force, which includes around 100 Canadians.

They are supposed to train and assist Haiti's police, the force that has been accused of brutalizing the unelected regime's opponents. Peaceful demonstrators have been killed on numerous occasions. In one particularly gruesome attack, on Aug. 20, 2005, Haitian police shot and killed at least six spectators at a Port au Prince soccer game.

Two years after helping overthrow Haiti's elected government, Canada was paying for an election. Incredibly, Canada's chief electoral officer and head of the International Mission for Monitoring Haitian Elections, Jean-Pierre Kingsley, was quoted last week as saying "These [elections] were better than anything they've done in Haiti in the past."

He said this despite the number of voting centres being reduced from 12,000 during the 2000 elections to 804 this time around, with none in Cite Soleil, a slum neighbourhood of more than a quarter million citizens. He said this even though Mr. Aristide's Lavalas party was blocked from registering Catholic priest Gerard Jean-Juste as their presidential candidate, because he was in jail, a prisoner of conscience, according to Amnesty International. Hundreds of other political prisoners remain behind bars.

New Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay should establish a public inquiry into Canada's role in Haiti. This country should support a democratic Haitian government that works to improve the lives of the poor majority. Canada should target its resources through that government in the areas of reforestation, education and health care.

Canada should help Haitians build a democracy that works for them.

Yves Engler is the author of two recent books: Canada in Haiti: Waging War on the Poor Majority (with Anthony Fenton) and Playing Left Wing: From Rink Rat to Student Radical.

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