About 30 people gathered on Sunday afternoon to pay their last respects to Fritznel Richard, who was found dead near the American border during the holiday season. It was in tears that the wife of the deceased attended the funeral by videoconference.
“Fritznel Richard died in a dramatic way, because we collectively rejected him. I hope [qu’il] will not be forgotten”, declared during the ceremony the spokesman of the Action Committee for People Without Status (CAPS), Frantz André.
On December 23, in the middle of a storm, the man of Haitian origin tried, in vain, to cross the few kilometers of forest on the Canada-US border, not far from Roxham Road, to join his wife. Authorities believe the 44-year-old likely died of hypothermia.
“Fritznel and Guenda have arrived [au Canada] crossing forests, countries, they almost died and saw people die in front of them. They arrived here, in a country that claims to be welcoming and where democracy reigns. To die here, in 2023, is that this welcoming land? “, dropped Mr. André.
PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, THE PRESS
About thirty people gathered on Sunday afternoon to pay their last respects to Fritznel Richard.
He then addressed the politicians. “We are humans. We are not numbers, we are not carriers of COVID-19, we came here to contribute, to save lives, to build Canada. »
“Courage, Guenda, courage”
Mr. Richard’s widow, Guenda Filius, who lives in the United States, attended the funeral from a distance. As soon as the chants announcing the start of the ceremony began, she burst into tears.
“Courage, Guenda, courage,” Mr. André said, addressing the woman who appeared on screens across the room. “We will always be here for you and for your sons. » Upset, Mme Filius was unable to say a word.
PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, THE PRESS
Frantz André
“I hope that this farewell with dignity and respect was liberating,” said Mr. André, visibly moved, at the end of the ceremony. Next week, he will travel to Florida to personally deliver Mr. Richard’s urn to his wife. “I didn’t want her to receive the ashes in a box from Fedex or DHL,” he said.
Solidarity momentum
The Magnus Poirier funeral complex, in the borough of Montréal-Nord, took charge of the administrative procedures, the urn, the transport of the remains and the ceremony free of charge.
“Since he is a member of our community, we wanted to pay him a tribute, something that looks like him,” said the complex director, Jacques Laurent, who is also of Haitian origin.
Frantz André also created a GoFundMe campaign to support the family of the deceased. By Sunday morning, over $9,000 had been raised.
Leaving Canada
On December 23, Guenda Filius asked her husband who was lost in the woods near the border with the United States to call the police, but the line was cut. Without news after several days, she finally contacted the Sûreté du Québec, which launched a search operation. His frozen body was found two weeks later.
Entering the country via Roxham Road in December 2021 with his wife, Fritznel Richard had been waiting for more than a year now for the documents that would have allowed him to work.
After some time, his wife finally decided to return to the United States, also through irregular channels.
Since then, Fritznel Richard had lived alone in an apartment not far from the Côte-Vertu metro station, in the borough of Saint-Laurent, in a financially untenable situation, his wife had indicated. Fritznel Richard is also survived by his two children, an 11-year-old boy who remained in Haiti and a 19-month-old baby.
With Vincent Larin, The Press