New Haiti protesters urge president’s departure

Protesters have burned tyres and thrown rocks and glass bottles at riot police during another anti-government demonstration in Haiti’s capital amid a political stalemate over long-delayed elections, Al Jazeera reports.

The demonstration of mostly young men reached a peak of about 1,500 in downtown Port-au-Prince as protesters called for the departure of President Michel Martelly.

Police fired tear gas and sprayed water from an armoured vehicle, scattering the crowd at a plaza close to where the National Palace stood before it collapsed in Haiti’s 2010 earthquake.

There has been no let-up in protests since last month’s resignation of Martelly’s prime minister, Laurent Lamothe, and other concessions aimed at resolving the stalemate holding up legislative elections.

Despite Tight Budget, Canadian Aid to Haiti Will Continue

Men carry water in Port-au-Prince, Haiti after a powerful earthquake hit the country on January 12, 2010. AP

Terry Pedwell The Canadian PressCanada urged the Haitian government on Thursday to call elections soon, as the Caribbean nation teetered yet again on the brink of collapse.

But while Haiti tries to resolve a mounting political crisis, Canadian officials say aid money will continue to flow to help rebuild a nation still struggling with the devastation of a deadly earthquake five years ago.

Canada has been reviewing its aid commitment to Haiti for nearly a year and says problems persist with co-ordination of aid efforts, largely as a result of a lack of accountability and transparency on the part of the Haitian government.

Canada ends temporary suspension of deportations to Haiti and Zimbabwe

Minister of Public Safety Steven Blaney responds to a question during question period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Thursday, Oct. 9, 2014. Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press

Canada Border Services Agency
Canada will soon resume the deportations of roughly 3,500 people to Haiti and Zimbabwe, countries critics say are still struggling with the aftermath of natural and man-made disasters.

Immigration Minister Chris Alexander and Public Safety Minister Steven Blaney said the temporary suspension of deportations to both countries has been lifted and migrants from Haiti and Zimbabwe can face removal after six months if they remain without legal status.

The decision leaves only three countries — Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of Congo and Iraq — on Canada’s removal moratorium list.

“Canada is one of the most generous countries in the world, and we have extended that generosity for over 10 years to Haitians and Zimbabweans by allowing them to stay in Canada because of unsafe conditions in their countries,” Alexander said. “With the temporary suspension now lifted, the uncertainty has ended.”