(Ottawa) Ottawa is expanding eligibility for its Haiti evacuation plan to include relatives of Canadians and permanent residents.
Ottawa has also organized a charter flight for Canadians who will pay the market rate to reach Montreal from the Dominican Republic.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mélanie Joly, announced a week ago that Canada was transporting people with valid Canadian passports from Haiti to the neighboring Dominican Republic by helicopter.
At this moment, Mme Joly had declared that Ottawa was putting pressure on the Dominican Republic to also allow the entry into its territory of Canadian permanent residents as well as the foreign parents of Canadians.
Global Affairs Canada has since recorded an increase in the number of Canadians trying to get help to leave Haiti, as hopes of a lull in widespread violence have given way to chaos fueled by criminal gangs.
This Caribbean country has been facing a political and humanitarian crisis since mid-2021. Gangs are committing violence across the country while limiting access to food and basic necessities.
The situation worsened further last month, when progress toward foreign military intervention prompted gangs to release prisoners and close Haiti’s main airport.
A week ago, 3,000 people with a connection to Canada had voluntarily registered their presence in Haiti with Ottawa, and only 300 had requested help to leave, a number which has since increased.