Canada sanctions more Haitian 'elites' as humanitarian crisis continues
Canada has sanctioned two more Haitian "elites" over their alleged involvement in the country's ongoing humanitarian crisis, adding to the list of other individuals targeted by the federal government in recent months.
Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly that the federal government had sanctioned businessman Charles Saint-Remy, an associate of former president Michel Martelly, and former Haitian lawmaker Arnel Belizaire, freezing any assets they may hold in Canada.
A news release from the federal government says it has reason to believe both individuals are using their high profiles "to protect and enable the illegal activities of armed criminal gangs, including through drug trafficking and other acts of corruption."
"Canada is continuing to fight against corruption in Haiti by imposing more sanctions against elites who are supporting the criminal gangs that are terrorizing the country," Joly said in a statement.
"Canada will continue to work with the international community to support the people of Haiti so they can emerge from this crisis and restore peace and security in their country."
The announcement brings the total number of Haitians sanctioned by the federal government since November 2022 . They include , and others considered part of Haiti's class.
INSTABILITY IN HAITI CONTINUES
Haiti has been embroiled in political and economic instability following the assassination of its president, Jovenel Moise, in July 2021.
Moise had served more than a year after the country failed to hold elections and the opposition called for him to step down.
Haiti is the first country founded by former slaves after achieving its independence from France through the between 1791 and 1804.
However, its history since has been punctuated by power struggles, harsh reparations imposed by France and a U.S. occupation.
Haiti experienced a , which the government officially says killed more than 300,000 people, although other estimates have recorded a smaller death toll.
Haiti is also the from Canada in the Americas.
Since the 2010 earthquake, Canada has contributed , including $345 million in humanitarian aid and $1.15 billion in development assistance
HUMANITARIAN CRISIS
Ongoing violence in the past year, including killings, kidnappings and sexual violence, has raised concerns from the United Nations, which recently estimated that gangs control as much as 60 per cent of the capital, Port-au-Prince.
In January 2022, a journalist working for a Montreal radio station was killed in Haiti near Port-au-Prince.
The announced elimination of fuel subsidies by Prime Minister Ariel Henry in September 2022 added to further unrest, including the blockade of a fuel terminal by a former police officer turned gang leader, while the country experiences double digit growth in inflation.
On Jan. 10, the terms for Haiti's last remaining senators expired, leaving it without a single lawmaker in either its House or Senate.
The United States has intercepted hundreds of migrants in recent months, mostly from Cuba and Haiti. Meanwhile, Haiti is also dealing with an outbreak of cholera.
'HAITI CAN'T WAIT'
The World Food Programme (WFP) said in October 2022 that a were facing acute hunger in Haiti.
Jean-Martin Bauer, WFP director for Haiti, told CTV News Channel on Saturday that the violence has made the delivery of humanitarian aid to the country more difficult.
He said the WFP was attacked twice in September, during which one of its offices burned down.
"It's meant that humanitarian work in Haiti has become more complicated, it's become more expensive, it's become more difficult, but we are out there every day trying to get resources to the Haitian population," Bauer said.
"Thankfully, we're able to do that with our partners and this effort needs to continue."
Canada on Wednesday announced it delivered armoured vehicles to Haiti to help the country's national police, although Haiti's Prime Minister Henry wants further support and has called for foreign intervention.
Bauer stressed that "Haiti can't wait" and needs not only security but also humanitarian assistance.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Wednesday in Mexico City, during the recent summit between the leaders of Canada, the U.S. and Mexico, that the delivery of armoured vehicles to Haiti also includes humanitarian aid.
"We need to have the western countries add a humanitarian component to their intervention in Haiti to make sure that programs reach people now," Bauer said.
With files from The Canadian Press and The Associated Press
IN DEPTH
Jagmeet Singh pulls NDP out of deal with Trudeau Liberals, takes aim at Poilievre Conservatives
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has pulled his party out of the supply-and-confidence agreement that had been helping keep Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's minority Liberals in power.
'Not the result we wanted': Trudeau responds after surprise Conservative byelection win in Liberal stronghold
Conservative candidate Don Stewart winning the closely-watched Toronto-St. Paul's federal byelection, and delivering a stunning upset to Justin Trudeau's candidate Leslie Church in the long-time Liberal riding, has sent political shockwaves through both parties.
'We will go with the majority': Liberals slammed by opposition over proposal to delay next election
The federal Liberal government learned Friday it might have to retreat on a proposal within its electoral reform legislation to delay the next vote by one week, after all opposition parties came out to say they can't support it.
Budget 2024 prioritizes housing while taxing highest earners, deficit projected at $39.8B
In an effort to level the playing field for young people, in the 2024 federal budget, the government is targeting Canada's highest earners with new taxes in order to help offset billions in new spending to enhance the country's housing supply and social supports.
'One of the greatest': Former prime minister Brian Mulroney commemorated at state funeral
Prominent Canadians, political leaders, and family members remembered former prime minister and Progressive Conservative titan Brian Mulroney as an ambitious and compassionate nation-builder at his state funeral on Saturday.
Opinion
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government鈥檚 three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party鈥檚 popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
opinion Don Martin: The doctor Trudeau dumped has a prescription for better health care
Political columnist Don Martin sat down with former federal health minister Jane Philpott, who's on a crusade to help fix Canada's broken health care system, and who declined to take any shots at the prime minister who dumped her from caucus.
opinion Don Martin: Trudeau's seeking shelter from the housing storm he helped create
While Justin Trudeau's recent housing announcements are generally drawing praise from experts, political columnist Don Martin argues there shouldn鈥檛 be any standing ovations for a prime minister who helped caused the problem in the first place.
opinion Don Martin: Poilievre has the field to himself as he races across the country to big crowds
It came to pass on Thursday evening that the confidentially predictable failure of the Official Opposition non-confidence motion went down with 204 Liberal, BQ and NDP nays to 116 Conservative yeas. But forcing Canada into a federal election campaign was never the point.
opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike
When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.
CTVNews.ca 星空传媒
Israel kills top Hezbollah figure in Beirut strike, Reuters sources say
Top Hezbollah commander Ibrahim Aqil was killed on Friday in an Israeli strike on Beirut's southern suburbs, two security sources told Reuters.
Since she was a young girl growing up in Vancouver, Ginny Lam says her mom Yat Hei Law made it very clear she favoured her son William, because he was her male heir.
The province's public security minister said he was "shocked" Thursday amid reports that a body believed to be that of a 14-year-old boy was found this week near a Hells Angels hideout near Quebec City.
An Ontario man says it is 'unfair' to pay a $1,500 insurance surcharge because his four-year-old SUV is at a higher risk of being stolen.
DEVELOPING Here's what we know about Israel's latest strike in Beirut
Israel鈥檚 military has struck the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon鈥檚 capital, in a dramatic escalation in a year-long period of conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.
Emergency crews in northern Ontario found the bodies of four people inside a home where a fire broke out Thursday night.
Passenger on a previous Titan sub dive says his mission was aborted due to apparent malfunction
A paid passenger on an expedition to the Titanic with the company that owned the Titan submersible testified before a U.S. Coast Guard investigatory panel Friday that the mission he took part in was aborted due to an apparent mechanical failure.
Cognitive decline reduced by MIND diet, especially for women and Black people, study finds
Following the MIND diet for 10 years produced a small but significant decrease in the risk of developing thinking, concentration and memory problems, a new study found.
The Montreal couple from Mexico and their three children facing deportation have received a temporary residence permit.
Local Spotlight
They say a dog is a man鈥檚 best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.
A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.
Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.
The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.
It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.
A Good Samaritan in New Brunswick has replaced a man's stolen bottle cart so he can continue to collect cans and bottles in his Moncton neighbourhood.
David Krumholtz, known for roles like Bernard the Elf in The Santa Clause and physicist Isidor Rabi in Oppenheimer, has spent the latter part of his summer filming horror flick Altar in Winnipeg. He says Winnipeg is the most movie-savvy town he's ever been in.
Edmontonians can count themselves lucky to ever see one tiger salamander, let alone the thousands one local woman says recently descended on her childhood home.