“He was very wise, very kind. He was a good living. »
With a sad smile on his face, Richardson Charles Alida recalls his few memories of Fritznel Richard. Like about forty other people, he went to the Guy-Favreau complex, Sunday afternoon in Montreal, to pay tribute to him. The two men had met a few times in the St-Michel district, where they both lived.
On January 4, 44-year-old Haitian asylum seeker Fritznel Richard died of hypothermia near Roxham Road in Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle. He was trying to reach the United States.
The people present at the mobilization, many of whom were of Haitian origin, honored the memory of this father in a solemn atmosphere, candle in hand, while listening to a succession of speakers. For many of the groups present at the mobilization, the death of Mr. Richard raises broader issues of security and border management.
“We want to tell the Canadian government [qu’il] killed someone because of its immigration policies”, denounces Frantz André, spokesperson and coordinator of the Action Committee of People without Status.
Under the “safe third country” agreement, signed in 2004, a person who arrives in Canada or the United States must apply for refugee status in the first country where they arrived. People from the United States who still wish to make a refugee claim in Canada must therefore go through unofficial routes, including Roxham Road.
Frantz André affirms that he is in contact with the family of the deceased. His widow and one of his children, barely 19 months old, are currently in Florida. It was while trying to join them that Mr. Richard died. Her other child, aged 11, would have remained in Haiti to undergo surgery. According to Mr. André, the child “is still not aware” of the death of his father.
“Accept Everyone”
“We are against stopping the migratory flow of people,” asserts Aboubacar Kane, co-spokesperson for Solidarité sans Frontières and co-organizer of the rally. “We think we should accept everyone, and especially take care of those who are here to allow them to have a status and a dignified and acceptable life,” he adds.
When he left for the United States, Mr. Richard had still not been able to obtain a work permit from the Canadian government. Neither did his wife, which had greatly motivated his departure for the United States a little earlier.
Present in front of the Guy-Favreau complex despite the biting cold, Jenny-Laure Sully came to show her support for her community. “I did not know Fritznel Richard, but he was of Haitian origin like me,” says the young woman. Her voice suddenly breaks, overwhelmed by sobs. “This tragedy affects me a lot. »
Asked what she thinks of the proposal to close Roxham Road, she is nuanced. “You shouldn’t focus on Roxham Road: what you need to do is welcome people in a human way,” she says with emotion. “If people can come back on a regular basis and still apply for asylum, that’s the solution. »
A funeral will be held next Sunday afternoon at the Magnus Poirier funeral complex on Pie-IX Boulevard in Montreal. The ceremony is open to everyone.