Prime Minister Justin Trudeau inspects an honour guard as he arrives in Nassau, Bahamas, on Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
NASSAU, Bahamas – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a slate of new supports for Haiti in the Bahamas today – but he stopped short of signalling support for the kind of international military intervention its de facto prime minister is asking for.
Trudeau told a meeting of Caribbean leaders that Canada will provide $12.3 million in new humanitarian assistance and $10 million for the International Office on Migration to support migrants in the region.
He promised to send Royal Canadian Navy vessels “in the coming weeks” to conduct surveillance, gather intelligence and maintain a presence off the Haitian coast.
Canada is also sanctioning two more Haitians, building on a list of elites barred from economic dealings in Canada because of alleged ties to the gangs that have taken over Haiti.
Trudeau says he had a “very constructive conversation” with de facto Haitian leader Ariel Henry this morning, who is acting as the country’s prime minister but was not elected to the role.
The prime minister also promised to spend another $44.8 million to respond to the Caribbean’s climate crisis, and $1.8 million to target the illicit drug trade and “strengthen border and maritime security” in the region.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 16, 2023.
