Amid flaring gang crisis, Canada welcomes Haiti PM's decision to eventually resign
CTV
Canada is welcoming the news that Ariel Henry, Haiti's unelected prime minister, has agreed to leave office as Caribbean leaders scramble to find ways to help stabilize a country overrun by gang violence.
Canada is welcoming the news that Ariel Henry, Haiti's unelected prime minister, has agreed to leave office as Caribbean leaders scramble to find ways to help stabilize a country overrun by gang violence.
Following months of pressure from Ottawa, Washington and leaders from across the Caribbean, Henry announced early Tuesday that he would resign once a transitional presidential council is created.
Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly welcomed the political agreement and urged the key players in Haiti to work toward ending the country's ongoing humanitarian, security and political crises.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke with Henry hours before his announcement, and affirmed the close ties between Canada and Haiti, according to a late Monday notice from Trudeau's office.
Henry had been locked out of his own country while travelling abroad, due to surging unrest and violence by criminal gangs that have overrun much of Haiti's capital and closed down its main international airports.
Canada's ambassador to the United Nations, Bob Rae, attended a Monday meeting in Jamaica with several Caribbean leaders along with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, looking at ways to respond to the crisis.
Henry remained in Puerto Rico during the meeting, according to a statement from the U.S. territory's Department of State, and was taking steps to return to Haiti once feasible.
