OTTAWA 鈥� A team tasked with assessing the crisis in Haiti has returned home and is now briefing senior officials as the Canadian government weighs a potential military mission to assist the beleaguered Caribbean nation, according to Canada鈥檚 ambassador to Haiti.
Ambassador S茅bastien Carri猫re said Monday that Canada will be expected to take a leading role in assisting the country, which has been plunged into chaos due to rampaging gangs and a worsening cholera outbreak.
"The expectations are fairly high," Carri猫re told the House of Commons foreign affairs committee. "People expect Canada to take on a leadership role. We have a very good reputation. And in Haiti, we're well respected."
Carri猫re added that the United States is also hoping Canada will step up, as was noted during recent coverage of U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken鈥檚 visit to Ottawa and Montreal last week.
While Blinken and Foreign Affairs Minister M茅lanie Joly studiously avoided any comments on whether Canada would lead a multilateral military intervention to Haiti, U.S. officials have name-checked Canada as a potential key player.
And while the United Nations is currently contemplating a motion that would authorize a mission, Carri猫re told the committee that the government has not yet decided whether it supports such a move.
"No decision has been made on that," he said. "That was part of what the assessment came here to do last week. They're continuing their consultations this week. They're briefing up in terms of what their findings are."
The poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, Haiti was thrown into turmoil after President Jovenel Mo茂se was assassinated last year. The crisis has worsened in recent months as gangs ravage the country and amid a worsening cholera outbreak.
Haiti鈥檚 health ministry said that as of Sunday, it was aware of 2,243 people with suspected cases and 55 who have died 鈥� numbers that the UN says likely understate the extent of the disaster.
Canada and the U.S. have already sent armoured vehicles to Haiti, and a military intervention to restore order has been endorsed by UN Secretary-General Ant贸nio Guterres.
U.S. officials say the UN resolution is expected to pass by early November, and have mentioned Canada as a candidate to lead such a mission.
Carri猫re did not speak to any specific timeline, but did say that any intervention would require a multilateral approach involving other countries in the region. The mission would also need to back up Haiti鈥檚 security forces, not replace them, he said.
While the international community鈥檚 immediate focus is on restoring order in Haiti, Carri猫re said rampant corruption and impunity continue to form the root of the country鈥檚 problems.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 31, 2022.
Lee Berthiaume, The Canadian Press
