(OTTAWA) Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the United States and Europe must do “much more” to sanction Haitian elites who have a role to play in Haiti’s insecurity crisis.
“For me, the best way to restore stability for Haiti is to first sanction the elites to tell them that they can no longer fund gangs [or] political instability,” he said. said Monday during a public meeting held in the Saint-Michel district of Montreal.
A member of the audience challenged the Prime Minister about the concerns of the Haitian diaspora, many of whom live in this neighborhood.
Mr. Trudeau recalled that Ottawa has sanctioned 17 people, including several former politicians, since they are considered to be accomplices of the armed gangs who sow terror in Haiti.
The situation in the Caribbean country has reached a critical level in recent months, with gangs raping women and blocking the population’s access to essential services.
In November, Canada began sanctioning the first people under its Special Economic Measures Act. This has the effect of freezing the assets of these people in Canada as well as preventing them from making any stay in the country.
During an interview with La Presse Canadienne in December, Mr. Trudeau spoke of a desire to see European countries follow in the footsteps of the Canadian government.
“We’re leading the United States and maybe even Europe to [put forward] their own sanctions too,” he said.
On Monday, he went further. “The United States started doing more sanctions. We need them to do a lot more. We need Europe, France, to do more,” he said.
He also added that the neighboring countries of Haiti had their role to play in this approach.
“Two, we have to make sure that the Haitian National Police have the power to do their job,” continued Mr. Trudeau.
He maintained that the holding of elections can only be done once stability is established in Haiti.
“To vote when you’re afraid to leave your house, when there are armed gangs on the street…it’s not a real democratic vote,” the prime minister said.
The last elections in this country go back several years. Former President Jovenel Moïse was assassinated in July 2021 and Prime Minister Ariel Henry then ran for leader but was not elected.
