How can Canada help Haiti without making a bad situation worse?

In today’s Big Story podcast, the situation in Haiti, especially in and around the capital Port-au-Prince, has deteriorated in recent months. In some areas gang violence and poverty is rampant, while food, water and fuel have become scarce. While many point to the assassination of former-president Jovenel Moïse as the catalyst for the current crisis, our guest today argues that the roots of the current tumult stretch back much further, and that past Canadian foreign policy decisions have contributed heavily.

Now, there are calls for foreign military intervention to stabilize the situation, and suggestions that Canada should play a leading role in that effort.

Jean Saint-Vil (Jafrikayiti) is a radio host and Member of Solidarité Québec-Haiti. He joins us to discuss the history of foreign military intervention in Haiti, and outline a better way to help the country out of its current crisis.

“Our priority is building education infrastructure, building hospitals, it’s not in creating an army that’s going to fight the Haitian population,” he said.

So what exactly is happening in Haiti? What do the Haitian people need to improve their situation? And if military intervention is not the answer, then what should Canada do to support Haiti in its struggle for peace, prosperity and justice?

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