Green Party Press Release

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Green Party says Canada should intervene in Haiti kidnapping

OTTAWA – Green Party leader Elizabeth May said today that the federal government should offer to mediate in an attempt to secure the release of kidnapped Haitian opposition leader Lovinsky Pierre-Antoine.

"Through its previous involvement in Haiti, the Canadian government has gained access to a range of political actors," said Ms. May. "It could play a mediating role in securing the release of Mr. Pierre-Antoine. Foreign Affairs Minister Maxime Bernier has an opportunity to help. The question is, does he care and will he even try?"

Lovinsky Pierre-Antoine, a human rights campaigner and high profile member of ousted President Jean-Baptiste Aristide's Lavalas Party, was kidnapped in August while touring the country with a human rights delegation that included representatives from the Canadian Haiti Action Network and Toronto Haiti Action Committee. Both have since returned safely to Canada.

Another Lavalas Party official, Dr. Maryse Narcisse, was abducted at gunpoint late last week, but was released unharmed this week after a ransom was paid.

"There is real concern among human rights activists in Haiti and elsewhere that these abductions are part of a renewed effort to intimidate members of the Lavalas Party in Haiti," said Stephen LaFrenie, special advisor on Haiti to Green Party international affairs critic Eric Walton. "Lavalas is a legitimate political party which holds seats in the Haitian parliament."

Pierre-Antoine had recently announced his intention to run as a Lavalas candidate in the next round of elections in Haiti and the party is gearing up for a convention in Port au Prince on December 16, the 17-year anniversary of Aristide's election.

The Canadian government has been silent on human rights violations in Haiti since the overthrow of democratically elected President Aristide in February 2004. It has also apparently taken no action on reports of misuse of Canadian aid by the interim government of Gérard Latortue. The Canadian Rights Delegation is currently on a cross-country tour to investigate serious questions about the effectiveness of Canadian foreign aid and how and where it is being used.

Green Party human rights critic Joe Foster said that the government should be looking into these concerns and using its diplomatic influence to improve the human rights situation in Haiti. "Canada must promote the rule of law and respect for human rights as laid out in the UN Charter," Mr. Foster said.

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