What these people who are in Canada fear is being sent back home. We heard from Mr. Cima, who explained the atmosphere in Haiti. They wonder what might happen to them if they return to Haiti. After they arrived here, there was the earthquake in Haiti that killed over 300,000 people. Often, their family has been killed and they have no assets. So what will they do if they return to their country? If they return to Haiti after a few years, they will be considered worse than strangers. People will look at them and wonder, “But where did they come from?” So there is no hope at all for their return to Haiti.
There is so much red tape for them that they are nearly discouraged. They often come and see us. What do we tell them? We tell them to be brave, to continue working, even if sometimes they lose their job when their permit expires. We encourage them. We tell them that they need to fill out the form, wait a little and find something else.
They are really afraid of returning to Haiti and fear retaliation, kidnapping and illness. There have been cases of endemic diseases, like chikungunya and cholera, which have taken place several times. There are always hurricanes. In fact, something is always hitting Haiti.
So that is what they fear.