The following is a letter written to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau by Jean Saint-Vil (from Ottowa):
Office of the Prime Minister 80 Wellington St. Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, K1A 0A2
Honourable Prime Minister Trudeau,
For over 12 years now, your predecessors have received persistent requests to operate a major shift in Canadian policy towards Haïti. Unfortunately, these calls by Canadians and by Canadian-Haitians have consistently been ignored. The consequences are immensely negative for Haitian lives as well as the reputation of Canada. Fortunately, we do have time, opportunity and means to permanently redress this situation.
Today, the People of Haiti are struggling to recover from a decade of disastrous foreign occupation. The weak institutions they had prior to the February 29, 2004 Coup d’État are all in shambles. Incredibly expensive foreign-controlled “elections” have consistently failed to bring about political stability to the People of Haiti, the stated justification for the illegally-deployed, now totally discredited, UN mission (MINUSTAH).
Dear Prime Minster Trudeau, our requests to you are plain and, with adequate political will, they are easily attainable:
1. Support normal commercial relations with Haiti, whereby Canadian mining companies would negotiate with democratically-elected officials who demand fair and environmentally-sound exploitation of Haiti’s natural resources. End Canadian support to coup d’État and foreign-controlled puppet regimes!
2. Withdraw all Canadian military and police from Haiti;
3. Redirect Canadian public funds currently being misused in repressive action by Haiti’s backward oligarchy and their foreign allies against the People (the impoverished Black masses) towards science-based, institution and infrastructure building initiatives – areas of recognized Canadian strength and evident Haitian needs;
4. Support the Haitian People’s legitimate claims for reparations from the United Nations (on behalf of over 1 million victims of Cholera contagion brought about by UN troops who are illegally deployed on the island, since 2004);
5. Leave the Core Group (of foreign entities meddling and messing in Haitian politics since over a decade): Send a clear signal that Canada recognizes the need for radical change in our relationship and that we respect the Haitian People.
Prime Minister Trudeau, we count upon your positive response to this urgent plea, because we trust that you are, indeed, a rare post-colonial leader who realizes “it is 2016”!
Sincerely,
Jean Saint-Vil
Ottawa, February 3, 2016
