Former Governor General Michaëlle Jean believes that rich countries must admit the mistakes they made in Haiti and put pressure on the elite of the pearl of the Antilles to find a way out of the current humanitarian crisis.
Countries like Canada must take responsibility for introducing debilitating economic policies in Haiti and for expelling the criminals who wreaked havoc in Port-au-Prince, according to Ms. Jean.
She was among dozens of high-level signatories to an open letter this week that said Haiti is “dying” and needs international help to avoid becoming a failed state.
That means building Haitian-led institutions, ending exploitative economic policies and getting more countries to sanction corrupt leaders who support gangs, the former governor general says.
She echoed Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s comments that a solution requires political consensus, which she said means agreement between civil society groups and unelected Prime Minister Ariel Henry, many of whom want his resignation.
Ms. Jean was born in Haiti and was a UNESCO special envoy to that country after serving as the Queen’s representative in Canada.
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