Montreal conference should give Haitians assistance to redevelop own country

OTTAWA – New Democrat Foreign Affairs Critic Paul Dewar (Ottawa Centre) is calling on the Canadian government and the international community to commit to a long-haul, large-scale redevelopment process in Haiti, starting with fully forgiving Haiti’s debt and offering grants for redevelopment.

In advance of the Montreal conference, Dewar emphasized the importance of complete debt forgiveness and assistance in the form of grants, not loans, to jumpstart the economy. He stated that the IMF’s decision to covert its US$ 100 million emergency loan for Haiti into a grant is an encouraging sign that the international community is moving to support Haiti for the long run.

“Redeveloping Haiti must be much more ambitious than just reconstructing the country to its pre-earthquake status,” said Dewar. “From day one, investments should support the capacity of Haitian civil society to respond to the needs of the nation. Haitian ownership of the redevelopment process is of the utmost importance.”

Dewar recommended the immediate expansion of cash-for-work programs to support the Haitian labour force in the short-term, and restart an economy that has been totally devastated by the earthquake in the long term.

Dewar emphasized that a successful conference will demonstrate a commitment to the development of:

• An effective state: investments in health, education, housing, water and sanitation, the establishment of an equitable tax system, and the training for its police force.
• An active citizenship: support for Haitian non-governmental organizations so that an active citizenship can hold governments to account; leveraging Canada’s expertise in democratic capacity-building to ensure Haitian ownership of the redevelopment process; and mechanisms to ensure that both emergency aid and long-term reconstruction respond to the needs of women and girls.
• A vibrant economy: beginning with debt forgiveness and providing grants for investments in micro-enterprise, rebuilding the economy bottom up with investments in agriculture and reforestation to stem the accelerating migration to the capital, as well as to address food security issues.

“The success of the Montreal Conference will not be measured by the introduction of an urgent plan for Haiti’s reconstruction,” concluded Dewar. “The Montreal Conference will be a success if Haiti’s debt is entirely forgiven and an international commitment is made to the long-term redevelopment of country with direct Haitian civil participation.”