[R-G] Local group strives to draw attention to Canada's role Haiti's grief

[Anthony Fenton]

Haitian solidarity
Local group strives to draw attention to Canada's role in the  
country's grief
Sarelle Azuelos
Gauntlet News
http://gauntlet.ucalgary.ca/story/12221

February 28, 2008
The Canada Haiti Action Network wants to see Canadians take an active  
stance on Canada's role in Haiti's quality of life. (Click for larger  
image.) The Canada Haiti Action Network wants to see Canadians take  
an active stance on Canada's role in Haiti's quality of life.

Credit: Chris Pedersen / the Gauntlet
Haitian people have suffered a history of almost constant violence  
and strife. Four years ago Canadian, French and U.S. forces, with  
support of the UN, held a military coup against the democratically  
elected then-leader Jean-Bertrand Aristide. Great debate surrounded  
the continuing involvement of foreign influences in Haiti's government.

The Canada Haiti Action Network is hosting a solidarity demonstration  
on Fri., Feb. 29 to raise awareness of Haiti's plight and hopefully  
encourage the Canadian government to respect the country's sovereignty.

CHAN, founded in 2004 after the coup, is strongly opposed to the  
current involvement of Canada within Haiti and would like a change in  
approach. Their goal is to get Canadians to put pressure on the  
Canadian government because they believe that is were citizens have  
the most influence.

CHAN Calgary chapter coordinator Nell Thurlow organized the third- 
annual solidarity demonstration.

"The people of Haiti are a democratic force to be reckoned with,"  
said Thurlow. "In the face of armed invasion from Canada, the U.S.,  
France and the UN, people still continue to come out by the  
thousands, into the street for a peaceful protest and demonstration  
even though they are killed and put in prison in horrifying numbers."

After the coup of the Aristide government in 2004, Thurlow describe  
the temporary de facto government established by the UN and supported  
by Canada as committing countless human rights violations. Aristide  
was exiled to the Central African Republic and is now teaching in a  
South African university. Within four days of the coup, roughly 1,000  
people were killed in the capital alone and many more across the  
country in the following months.

Fellow CHAN Calgary chapter coordinator Regan Boychuk explained he  
doesn't support the reasoning for the coup. He claimed the U.S. felt  
antipathy to Aristide's socially progressive policies such as raising  
minimum wage and increasing public services. Canada played a major  
part in organizing the coup, hosting a meeting in 2003 to discuss the  
removal of Aristide.

"Canada was quite involved in the media and government-funded and  
supported human rights organizations in demonizing the government of  
Haiti, [which] they were hoping to overthrow," said Boychuk. "[They]  
claimed they had an atrocious human rights record and it was the  
international community's obligation to step in and protect the  
people. We know for sure now that a large part of those charges  
against the Haitian government was simply fabricated."

The University of Calgary's Institute for United States Policy  
Research director Dr. Stephen Randall noted he believes the situation  
in Haiti did call for international intervention.

"The issue really was political stability and there was a legitimate  
reason for UN, Canadian and U.S. forces to go in," said Randall. "We  
can blame the U.S. for a lot of things but it's hard to blame them  
for everything in Haiti. This is not Iraq, it does not have huge oil  
resources. In fact, it has very little that appeals to capitalists on  
the whole."

The 22-month interim government has since been replaced by  
democratically elected president Rene Preval, but CHAN members feel  
foreign nations are using financial aid as a means to influence  
Preval's leadership. The current government faces vast amounts of  
debt and is dependent on foreign aid.

"Preval was elected by the people," said Thurlow. "Yet his hands are  
tied by the continuing occupation and the dependence of Haiti on  
money from countries that perpetrated the coup."

Boychuk explained that Preval has since begun massive privatization  
projects of previously public utilities and has passed laws friendly  
to foreign investors. The socially progressive works of former  
president have come to an end. According to Randall, Haiti was in a  
state where even the popular democratically elected Aristide  
government would face much hardship in trying to rid the nation of  
organized crime and the growing narcotics industry. Of the last 44  
Haitian presidents, seven were able to serve their full term and only  
two peaceful transitions took place.

"Haitians exploit Haitians, we have to recognize that," said Randall.  
"It really does need continued support."

CHAN's mandate seeks support from the Canadian government, but does  
not believe the current approach is most beneficial to Haitians.

"We want the debt cancelled, respect for Haitian sovereignty, all  
foreign troops and occupying personnel removed from Haiti immediately  
and aid given on fair terms, reparations paid for the harm that's  
been done," said Thurlow.

Randall argued that Canada has a positive role to play in the events  
unfolding in Haiti--both past and present.

"Canada has an important position in muting the more militaristic  
approach the U.S. takes," he said. "I prefer a non-military direction  
and that's where it's going."

He does not believe that CHAN's desire to withdraw from Haiti would  
succeed in aiding the issue of sovereignty.

Through CHAN, Thurlow has organized a demonstration 4 p.m. Fri., Feb.  
29 at the Harry Hays building. Everyone is welcome.