(Ottawa) Global Affairs Canada says Canada is likely to deploy RCMP officers to Haiti to act as trainers in a multinational military intervention, with officials vowing to focus more on violence prevention sexual.
“The RCMP is considering focusing on technical training,” said Lisa Vandehei, head of the interdepartmental working group on Haiti at Global Affairs Canada.
“Canada’s training mission, its planning is still ongoing,” she told the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee on Thursday.
The United Nations Security Council on Monday approved the creation of a multinational force to help combat violent gangs in Haiti, which Kenya has offered to lead by January.
Mme Vandehei said Canada was still evaluating its contribution to the mission, adding that Kenya was ready to launch a deployment within 90 days of ratification of the mission by its Parliament.
She said the RCMP would likely train Haitian National Police (HNP) officers in “very surgical technical areas” through a model in which each officer trained in Canada would then teach other Haitian peers.
She said the RCMP would likely train Haitian National Police (HNP) officers in “very surgical technical areas” through a model in which each officer trained in Canada would then teach other Haitian peers.
“The RCMP is the best in the world in several areas of policing that the PNH needs,” she argued.
Prevention of sexual violence
Global Affairs Canada says in a new statement that Ottawa “is focused on preventing sexual and gender-based violence” in Haiti, emphasizing that armed gangs use sexual violence as a means of controlling the population.
In previous military interventions in Haiti, residents have reported widespread sexual exploitation by fellow citizens and foreign armies, which Mme Vandehei noted in his testimony.
“We are very aware of this, and particularly with regard to the sexual and gender-based violence that is already taking place in Haiti,” she said. We plan to work with the Kenyans and the United States on how to also leverage lessons learned from our (historic) work in Haiti. »
Mme Vandehei said Canada’s goal with the multinational mission is to ensure police have the training and equipment they need to maintain order in Haiti after foreign forces leave, and that society has the institutions necessary for a viable democracy.
“We are approaching this issue with open eyes, and that is why we are creating a multi-faceted solution,” she said.
After observing Haiti for decades, she said, “I have a lot of hope. »
Haiti’s unelected prime minister called for international intervention last year, and the idea has been divisive among Haitians, although it is supported by the U.N. and Washington.
The country has been facing a deep security crisis exacerbated by brazen criminal gangs since mid-2021, leading to endemic violence, cholera outbreaks, and restricted access to water, food and medical care.
The liberal government has imposed sanctions on several of Haiti’s political and economic elites, arguing that doing so would help build consensus among political actors on how other countries can best help Haitians find stability, and eventually , to organize elections.
Washington had asked Canada to carry out military intervention, but Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said it was unclear whether such a move would lead to long-term stability in the country, citing multiple previous interventions that he said him, had made Haiti even less stable.
Another mistake by the Western community?
Chalmers LaRose, a political science professor at the University of Quebec in Montreal, denounced the imminent intervention Thursday as another mistake that will sow more violence and accentuate undemocratic governance in Haiti.
“If all this comes to fruition, the Western community will have succeeded in its challenge of once again engaging in an interventionist adventure in Haiti,” the professor declared to the senators, in French.
“We are still far from seeing this inter-Haitian consensus emerge, so desired by external actors,” he added.
In recent months, Canada has focused on strengthening the Haitian National Police, the only official armed force in Haiti, which disbanded its army years ago.
Mme Vandehei shed light on these efforts, including a June announcement from the International Security Assistance Coordination Group, which allows Canada to manage how different countries support the HNP.
She said Canada is coordinating contributions from “more than 26 countries,” for example to determine where equipment donated by foreign countries could best be used in Haiti, whether it meets local needs and whether it is interoperable with existing elements.
Likewise, Canada is helping to develop a training schedule so that foreign police officers can fill gaps identified by Haitian and Canadian officials. She said part of the idea is to pull out cohorts to train them in numbers that won’t disrupt an already strained police force.
Mme Vandehei noted that there are about 9,000 police officers for a country of more than 11 million people.
Ontario Sen. Gwen Boniface’s career has focused on transnational policing, including a stint in Haiti, and she said Ottawa could make a significant contribution, but needed to find a balance with the lack of personnel in the country.
“I want to see Canadians on the field, but I’m trying to find a balance,” the senator said.
Mme Vandehei added that armed gangs have become so entrenched in Haiti that they serve as the government and justice system in some areas, despite inflicting “indescribable violence” on residents.
“We need to be incredibly nuanced in how we approach this complexity,” she argued.