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Montreal's Haitian community is asking Ottawa to process immigration files more quickly for Haitians waiting to come to Canada, following a deadly earthquake that struck the country over the weekend.
Montreal's Haitian community urged Ottawa on Monday, August 16, 2021, to process immigration files more quickly for Haitians waiting to come to Canada, as its members tried to help their homeland following a deadly earthquake over the weekend.
The full extent of the damage following Saturday's major earthquake in Haiti is not yet known, and Haitian Quebecers are scrambling to get in touch with loved ones while also getting ready to help.
In addition to helping the victims of Saturday's earthquake, they're looking to support survivors of the country's deadly 2010 earthquake who are retraumatized by the news.
"Haiti has been hell lately," Poulard said in an interview. "My family has been sending me horrific photos." On Wednesday, many Montrealers of Haitian decent around the city's Villeray neighbourhood didn't want to speak publicly when approached for comment. Many said they feared that doing so would endanger their families in Haiti. Political and economic instability has deepened across the Caribbean nation in recent months, with widespread protests paralyzing the country of more than 11 million people. Gangs in the capital, Port-au-Prince, have grown more powerful, with more than 14,700 peop...