At the end of the year 2003, Haiti was a nation struggling to overcome two centuries of brutal dictatorships and ecological disaster. Haiti had succeeded twice in peacefully transferring power from one democratic government to another. It was denied a third chance due to international interference and a violent coup d’état.
Then, in January of 2010, a catastrophic earthquake hit Haiti, killing over 200 000 people and leaving 1.3 million people homeless. Survivors are still facing water, housing, and food shortages and, starting in the fall of 2010, a major cholera epidemic. Haiti needs Canada’s help more than ever.
Green Party MPs will:
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Expand long-term aid to help Haiti recover and rebuild from the 2010 earthquake and subsequent health crises;
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Call for a full, independent inquiry into Canada’s role leading up to the collapse of the democratic government of Haiti in February 2004 and its role in supporting a non-elected government guilty of committing human rights abuses;
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Support ecological reforestation projects that address both forest recovery and commercially viable tree crops that holds more monetary value for its crop yield than its value as wood and further continue the development of and/or support for the development of alternative energy sources such as wind and solar that can eventually eliminate the need for wood as cooking fuel while also significantly reducing the need for foreign oil and gas importation;
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Provide funding for the long-term support and expansion of a Haitian Ministry of the Environment including the training of forest rangers and agents with the responsibilities of monitoring and enforcing environmental laws and forest protection against human interference;
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Press for the speedy resolution of land title issues currently preventing the rebuilding of permanent housing and infrastructure. If necessary, move to an international land resolution approach to resolve the impasse quickly;
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Continue to assist the Haitian government with international/bilateral debt reduction and/or debt forgiveness.