Foreign Affairs Committee on March 23rd, 2011

[A/Commr Mike Cabana]

Maybe I could provide something based on our own records. As I mentioned during my opening comments, there was a database. A criminal intelligence unit was created and a database in support of the unit was created. That was to use the remaining records and try to collect as much intelligence as was available within the different Haitian government agencies, to get a sense of who had escaped and to assist the Haitian national police in recapturing some of the escapees. Based on the numbers that we have been provided with, it was in excess of 5,600 who escaped, and more than 800 have been recaptured. It's not a large number, by any stretch of the imagination.

Out of the 5,600, based on the data that we have, there were 44 who would have been considered dangerous offenders, and out of those, 21 have been recaptured. The database was being used to try to confirm the identity of the individuals.

[Jean Dorion, Bloc, Longueuil—Pierre-Boucher, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair. My colleague has a question.

[Johanne Deschamps, Bloc, Laurentides—Labelle, QC]

Thank you very much. I will continue over the next two minutes.

First, I would like to emphasize all the work you did when the earthquake struck. You were front-line respondents, and that work requires a lot of courage and daring.

A year and a few months later, how are the UN stabilization efforts in Haiti being coordinated among soldiers, police officers, civilian staff, counsellors and human rights and rule of law experts? How has all this been done while taking into consideration the events that are currently unfolding? For instance, elections were held last Sunday. You also have to deal with refugee camps that are housing many people. We are constantly being reminded that conditions are still difficult, that there is still a lot of violence and that women and children are most vulnerable to that violence.

[The Chair, Conservative, Dean Allison]

If you could do it in around 30 seconds. Sorry to do that to you.

[A/Commr Mike Cabana]

In 30 seconds, we're doing the best we can.

That is a great question. A lot of work is being done on site. The camp situation is a reality with which MINUSTAH must deal daily. Specialized teams have been created to patrol camps 24/7. These patrols are on at the seven largest camps. The other 70 or so camps are patrolled periodically.

Programs have also been implemented to educate camp residents on how to better protect themselves and what to do when confronted with violence or abuse. We have also implemented specialized training for the local police to teach them how to attend to the needs of those who are most vulnerable in these camps and what they need to do when a complaint is submitted.

[The Chair, Conservative, Dean Allison]

Thank you very much.

Mr. Goldring, seven minutes.

[Peter Goldring, Conservative, Edmonton East, AB]

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

I want to thank you very much for the excellent work your forces have been doing over the past years, particularly during the extremely trying time since the earthquake. Also, I extend my deepest condolences to the family and friends of those who died. I know from my own experience with a little bit of police work that it's family with you people.

I want to talk about the prison system. When I was there in 2006, even at that time, it was said that 80% of the prison population was provisionally detained. I talked to some who had never had charges laid even after being in there for two years. What you're saying is that situation probably can't change until they get the infrastructure going on many other things. Had that not changed since the 2006 period up to the earthquake? That number really didn't move?

[Marty Maltby]

No. Actually that number has remained fairly constant, and prior to the earthquake I would have said it was a fair bit more dire in terms of almost being at 90%.

[Peter Goldring, Conservative, Edmonton East, AB]

Another factor that I was given at that time, in 2006, was they said there was a requirement for vetting the top 25% of the national police force because they were involved in corrupt tendencies. That was in 2006 too. Was that ever done?

[A/Commr Mike Cabana]

Yes and no. The plan was implemented. There were over 7,000 files. First of all, the workforce was identified within the Haitian National Police. There were 7,000 files that were opened. Those files were being investigated by a vetting team that was composed of the Haitian National Police as well as UNPOL, so a Canadian police officer. In fact, the person who is responsible for the team is a Canadian.

They managed, pre-earthquake, to vet, for lack of a better term, 3,500 of the Haitian National Police. Unfortunately, a lot of those records for the remaining 3,500 were destroyed. It was an electronic record and a hard copy that were destroyed in the earthquake. I guess a little over one-third of the workforce of the national police was vetted. The remaining records were destroyed. There are efforts currently ongoing to try to recover some of the electronic data to be able to reconvene the exercise.

[Peter Goldring, Conservative, Edmonton East, AB]

The United Nations force, the military there at the time...there was still a problem with the red zone at that time. You couldn't go into the red zone. It was a high-risk area. As a matter of fact, even with the armoured vehicle that we were in, they rode through there at high speed with sirens going. Has that situation eased up a bit, or is that under control, relatively?

[A/Commr Mike Cabana]

Well, it's under relative control. The red zones are accessible. Actually, I visited Haiti last June and I went on patrols in the red zone. They are no longer patrolling probably in the same types of armoured vehicles as you were ferried around in. We actually stopped and exited the vehicles in some locations. So the security situation did get a little better.

[Peter Goldring, Conservative, Edmonton East, AB]

Would you characterize it such that since 2006, up until the earthquake, there had been good progress made on many of these issues?

[A/Commr Mike Cabana]

There was progress being made on these issues.

[Peter Goldring, Conservative, Edmonton East, AB]

I visited the prison there too in Port-au-Prince. How do you characterize it? Before the earthquake it was a disaster, and then the earthquake, I understand, damaged it. They would have 70 men in a small room, lying in there like cordwood, with a little path in between them and a bucket in the corner. They're in there from I think it was five o'clock or seven o'clock at night until the morning. They were just deplorable circumstances.

Was that prison totally destroyed, or are you using that prison again, or parts of that prison?

[Marty Maltby]

It wasn't totally destroyed. Components of it were. It is still being used. I think at the time you were there, and probably about a year later, it was sitting at 4,500 to 5,000 inmates, I would say, approximately. I think the latest figures I have show it at about 3,000. So it is significantly reduced. Part of that is because of lack of infrastructure. I would assume that the conditions remain fairly similar.

MINUSTAH had developed, and continues to have, a team directly attached to that prison itself. When I went there in 2008, and then again in 2009, while the conditions were the same, you were seeing much more prisoner movement. They were out in the yards much more. They had much more access to air, water, food--all of that.

Again, there was slight progress probably from what you saw, but progress at that point. With the collapse of the infrastructure, I actually can't say as to the conditions currently. I would imagine they are very similar to what you looked at.

[The Chair, Conservative, Dean Allison]

One minute.

[Peter Goldring, Conservative, Edmonton East, AB]

One of the comments that has been made about the United Nations forces there is that many of them lack the language, lack the French, and by being military they lack the kinds of policing skills that you would employ for riot control or for people control. Has any of that been modified at all? What is the nature of the United Nations troops there now? Have they got more who can speak the local language or with whom you are more comfortable as police to be your supporters in controlling crowds?

[Marty Maltby]

I can't speak for the military. I do know that the current strength of the corrections component is just under 100 staff members, and I would say the majority of them at this point are French speaking. In corrections they tend to typically deploy staff from...a lot of them come from the French-speaking African countries. So I've been lucky enough within the corrections component to have almost exclusively French officers.

[Peter Goldring, Conservative, Edmonton East, AB]

At that time, the deployment from the policing wasn't hitting that 100 rate. I think it was 65 or 70 deployed. What is it today?

[A/Commr Mike Cabana]

For Canadian policing?

[Peter Goldring, Conservative, Edmonton East, AB]

Yes.

[A/Commr Mike Cabana]

Today, as we speak, there are 137.

[Peter Goldring, Conservative, Edmonton East, AB]

There are. So that's a full deployment then.

[A/Commr Mike Cabana]

That's pretty close to a full deployment, yes.