About Chan (including subscribe to mail list)

The Canada Haiti Action Network (CHAN) is an information and action network with member committees in cities across Canada. The network was formed in 2004 out of concern over the violent overthrow of elected government in Haiti on February 29, 2004 and the forced exile of the elected president, Jean Bertrand Aristide.

The devastating earthquake that struck Haiti on January 12, 2010 now raises far deeper concerns about the direction of the country. In whose interests will Haiti be rebuilt--those of its poor majority, or those of international financiers, sweatshop factory owners, and food growers and exporters in the United States and Europe? " Solidarity and national sovereignty, not charity", is the watchword of the Canada Haiti Action Network in this new period of Haiti's history.

The member committees of CHAN work for the following goals:

• Universal respect of Haiti’s sovereignty
• For massive earthquake relief and aid, delivered in a manner that assists and strengthens the sovereign and popular instituions of the Haitian people
•  The safe return of political exiles and the freeing of all political prisoners
• A full Parliamentary inquiry in Canada concerning its role in the overthrow of elected government in Haiti in 2004, and reparations to the Haitian people from all the countries that took part in that illegal act
• Cancellation of all outstanding debt obligations by Haiti to international financial institutions

CHAN maintains a website to share the latest information about Haiti and to store important documents and reports. It encourages and sponsors travel to and from Haiti in order to increase awareness between popular, cultural, and faith organizations in our two countries. It also hosts an e-mail listserve. To subscribe to the CHAN listserve, send a request to: canadahaiti@gmail.com

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SOLIDARITY AND EFFECTIVE AID STILL URGENTLY NEEDED IN HAITI

The following statement was distributed by Haiti Solidarity BC to the national convention of the New Democratic Party in Vancouver BC.

June 16, 2011

A profound humanitarian crisis prevails in Haiti, eighteen months following the devastating earthquake of January 12, 2010. Hundreds of thousands of people still live in makeshift camps lacking adequate health services, sanitation, and potable water. Sexual assaults of female camp residents are widespread and many children have no schools to attend.

Canadians donated tens of millions of dollars to Haiti in the weeks and months following the earthquake. Large matching funds were donated to aid agencies by the Canadian government. But delivery of assistance has been grossly inadequate, and reconstruction has barely begun. According to a Canadian Red Cross spokesperson speaking to Parliament on February 28, 2011, the world must expect a delay of five years before every victim displaced by the earthquake can expect to receive minimal shelter.

Although the physical tasks of reconstruction are enormous, the larger obstacles facing Haitians are political. The Canada Haiti Action Network (CHAN) believes that inadequate aid to Haiti is rooted in international policies towards the country and its government. For years, the governments of the U.S., Canada and Europe have deliberately thwarted the sovereignty and social justice aspirations of the Haitian people.

Long before the earthquake, Haiti was dubbed the ‘Republic of NGOs’. The NGO model channels aid and assistance through foreign-run organizations rather than Haitian government ministries and civil society institutions. The net effect is to exclude Haitians from decision making and failure to build Haitian capacity through training and long-term employment. Haitian members of the Interim Haiti Reconstruction Commission (IHRC) have voiced deep dissatisfaction with the exclusion of Haitians from post-earthquake reconstruction.

The overall exclusion of Haitians from development projects is mirrored in the political sphere. The recent two-round election was marked by foreign pressure and interference. Haiti’s largest political party, the Fanmi Lavalas of former president Jean-Bertrand Aristide, was once again ruled off the ballot. Under pressure and threats from the U.S. government and OAS, presidential candidate Jude Célestin was tossed off the second round ballot even though Haiti’s electoral commission ruled that he won more votes than third place finisher Michel Martelly. Recent WikiLeaks revelations make clear that the U.S. government harbours a grudge against outgoing President René Préval for joining Haiti to Venezuela’s Petrocaribe initiative in 2007. Préval sponsored Célestin’s candidacy.

The end result is an election that landed Michel Martelly, a rightist and associate of anti-democratic militarists and Duvalierists, in the Haitian presidency.

These latest electoral exclusions cap an eleven-year effort by the big powers of the world to stifle democracy in Haiti. A U.S.-led embargo of aid and development funds began in the year 2000, intended to destabilize Haiti’s government. It escalated to the overthrow and exile of President Aristide and the dissolution of Haiti’s senate and legislature on February 29, 2004. Today, Haiti is the only militarily-occupied country in the Western Hemisphere, with nearly 13,000, UN Security Council-sponsored police and soldiers.

The big powers cannot be entrusted with Haiti’s future. Canadians can work to assist Haiti through: 
* Awareness: Haiti is now the largest recipient of Canadian government aid, much of which is spent on police and prisons, not social development.
* Pressure: Members of Parliament should join their many counterparts in the U.S. Congress in critically examining Canada’s and the world’s policies in Haiti.
* Solidarity: Canadians can support social projects that are bringing meaningful progress to Haiti, for example medical organizations such as Partners In Health and the Cuban medical mission; human rights groups such as, the Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti and Human Rights Watch.
* Partnerships: Canadian trade unions, faith organizations, and medical and education institutions and professionals can partner with their counterparts in Haiti.

For information on Haiti, including how to contact projects you can support and other ways to get involved, consult the CHAN website www.canadahaitiaction.ca. To invite representatives of CHAN in cities across Canada to speak, contact a committee in your area. You can e-mail canadahaiti@gmail.com or phone (in Vancouver) 778 858 5179.

Signed,
Haiti Solidarity BC, affiliate of the Canada Haiti Action Network

Brief History of Haiti and Canada

(See a detailed description of key dates in Haitian history here.)

• Revolution (1791 – 1804): First successful slave revolt in world history.
• U.S. occupation (1915-1934): U.S. marines occupy Haiti.
• Dictatorship (1957-1986): Family tyranny of Francois Duvalier, then son Jean Claude Duvalier, rule Haiti.
• Rebellion (1986) Popular uprising overthrows the Duvalier dictatorship.
• Democracy (1990) First free and democratic elections; Jean-Bertrand Aristide elected president.
• Military coup (1991-94) Haitian military overthrows the Aristide government, thousands killed.
• Restoration (1994-2000) Aristide returns to Haiti; democratic transition of power to President René Préval; Haitian military is dissolved.
• Punishment (2000-2004) Aristide re-elected under Fanmi Lavalas banner; U.S., Canada and France implement an embargo of aid to the government.
• Coup d’etat (2004-2006) Aristide overthrown by foreign-backed militias and U.S. troops. 800 Canadian soldiers dispatched to back the overthrow. Violent repression by an illegal coup regime follows.
• Exclusion (2006-2011) Elections held in 2006 with de facto exclusion of Aristides’s party, Fanmi Lavalas. The party is banned from all subsequent elections.

 Some ways you can get involved:

* Become an organizer. Help organize public forums, political actions and fundraisers.

* Website updates. The website of the Canada Haiti Action Network is one of the most reliable, complete and current sources for news on Haiti. Keeping this website up-to-date requires many people sourcing for content and uploading stories to the site.  

* If you are interested in joining Haiti Solidarity BC or other CHAN affiliates or would like to know more about the organization and our work, you can e-mail us at canadahaiti@gmail.com or you can phone Roger in Vancouver at 778 858 5179.