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A letter to MPs about Haiti's election

The following letter concerning the Nov. 28 electoral exercise in Haiti was e-mailed to all members of the Canadian Parliament on Wednesday, Dec. 15. On Dec. 13, the House of Commons in Ottawa held a rare debate on Haiti. You can read excerpts or the full transcript of that debate by going to the website of the Canada Haiti Action Network.

To: Members of the Parliament of Canada

Subject: Election in Haiti

Dear Member of Parliament,

We are writing to urge that as an elected Member of Parliament you direct a critical eye to the Canadian government's financing and endorsement of the Nov. 28 election in Haiti.

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in his own words

Haiti elections and protests: A snapshot of the last week

On Wednesday, Haitians turned the world upside down. What do things look like from that perspective?

Since last Sunday, the tension has been building as the population waited for the Electoral Council (CEP) to announce the results of the selections. The moment they declared Jude Celestin's good fortune to be selected for the second round, people exploded. On Wednesday, the crowds reclaimed their streets in Port-au-Prince. Sometimes it was a violent exercise, but we want to consider the imagination and creativity of the Haitian protesters.

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Haiti, the UN and cholera on election day

Photo: Kevin Edmonds
The poor are demonized for the suffering while those responsible are absolved of any responsibility.

Related rabble.ca story:

Haiti, the UN and cholera on election day
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A letter to Haiti

The children of Haiti are recovering. Photo taken Feb. 9, 2010. Credit: Graham Lavery.

Haiti, I weep for you.

I hide my tears because I'm on a flight from Kelowna, British Columbia, to Toronto, and who knows, with all the heightened security I fear they may think something's amiss. I'm weeping as a prelude to joining my ancestors. So paranoid have we become. But I weep for you, Haiti, for your people, for the shit -- the unmitigated shit -- that life seems to throw your way.

Again and again.

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Let the Haitians in

Jean Montrevil was shackled, imprisoned, about to be sent to Haiti. It was Jan. 6, days before the earthquake that would devastate Haiti, the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere. Montrevil came to the U.S. with a green card in 1986 at the age of 17. Twenty years ago, still a teenager, he was convicted of possession of cocaine and sent to prison for 11 years. Upon release, he married a U.S. citizen; he has four U.S.-citizen children, owns a business, pays taxes and is a legal, permanent resident. He is a well-respected Haitian New York community activist. But because of his earlier conviction, he was on an immigration supervision program, requiring him to check in with an immigration official every two weeks. On Dec.

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Haiti calls for help

Haiti, a country born in courage, when its slave revolt in 1791 eventually led to the ouster of a French colonial regime, faces its greatest challenge. The Canadian writer, Haitian-born Dany Laferrière was in a Port-au-Prince restaurant on Jan. 12, 2010 at 4:53 p.m. when the worst earthquake in 200 years massacred upwards of as many as 100,000 Haitians living in, and around the capital.

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We know that rabble readers want to be sure that that their contributions to Haiti go to those organizations who will make best use of the donations to help those most at need.

Weekly Diaspora: Protecting Haitian refugees through immigration reform

By Nezua
| January 14, 2010

By Nezua, Media Consortium Blogger

On Tuesday, the worst earthquake in 200 years struck just off the coast of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, as The Nation reports. Bringing “catastrophic destruction” to the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere, the disaster has spurred relief efforts worldwide. Crises like this are important reminders of how the treatment and protection of refugees must be a part of immigration reform.

Temporary protected status for Haitian refugees

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