Foreign Affairs Committee on Oct. 28th, 2025

[Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, Bloc, Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

Unwittingly, financial institutions in Quebec, Canada and the United States are helping these individuals. Cutting the flow of funds to these organizations would be one way we could co-operate, would it not?

[H.E. Anthony Dessources]

Exactly.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ahmed Hussen]

Thank you.

We will next go to MP Fred Davies.

You have five minutes.

[Fred Davies, Conservative, Niagara South, ON]

Thank you for being here today.

I appreciate the insight and the update on what's happening in your country. I hope the next few days result in good news rather than bad news on the weather front.

I have a couple of questions, sir.

Earlier, you said that Haiti gives more to Canada than Canada gives to Haiti. I'd like you to clarify that statement, but I want to follow that up with a question about the Haitian diaspora here in Canada. Is the community mobilized? Are you in contact with them? Do you know how many people from Haiti live in Canada? Are they interested in helping you rebuild the country for both their benefit and your country's benefit?

[H.E. Anthony Dessources]

Did I misspeak?

Here's what I meant to say: Since François Duvalier, a lot of Haitians have had to leave the country to go to Canada. Some of them had financial means and others didn't, but a large majority of them were professors and teachers. They had to leave Haiti and they came here. I think they've been very helpful to Canada since the 1960s. Afterward, many young Haitians who studied in Haiti—God knows some of them did a fair bit of schooling in Haiti—left the country to go to Canada and elsewhere.

Those people were our assets, and they moved elsewhere. That's what I meant earlier. Education in Haiti is now poor, but a few years ago, I can assure you that we had professors who enabled Haitians to receive very high-level training. We also took advantage of Canada, as I said earlier. I myself studied in Haiti with the Canadian priests who were there. I learned a lot from them.

What needs to be done now? As we discussed a little earlier, it would be good for Canadians to go to Haiti to ensure that money sent there is managed properly. I'm sure that every single Haitian in Canada dreams of Haiti almost every day. I would bet on it. Unfortunately we've been going through very difficult times for years. The Duvaliers have been gone since 1986. I'm talking about Jean-Claude Duvalier, because the father had already died. It has been 40 years since 1986. We had a few good years during which the country was governed properly, but it hasn't been going well at all for at least 30 years.

That's what we need to fix. That's what we need help with. I'm talking about financial assistance as well as help to achieve that.

[Fred Davies, Conservative, Niagara South, ON]

Thank you for that.

I'm sorry to interrupt you, but in your view, what needs to happen sooner? What is the key barrier to stopping the gangs and developing a strong governance structure? What is the first thing that needs to happen, from your perspective, either from an international point of view or a domestic point of view?

[H.E. Anthony Dessources]

I think that identifying whoever is funding the gangs will be a huge step forward.

We definitely need help from outside because the national police doesn't have the means to fight the gangs. If we have 10,000 officers against 50,000 armed gang members, I don't think we can manage without help. We need help. I think that's what we need to focus on so we can try to eliminate…. With help, we might be able to do it.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ahmed Hussen]

Thank you, Your Excellency.

Finally, we'll go to MP Rob Oliphant.

You have five minutes.

[Rob Oliphant, Liberal, Don Valley West, ON]

I'm okay.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ahmed Hussen]

You're okay.

Ambassador, thank you for your participation in this meeting and this study.

That concludes this meeting.

Is it the will of the committee to adjourn the meeting?

[A voice]

Yes.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ahmed Hussen]

Thank you. The meeting is adjourned.