Haiti in the headlines

Frankly, I’m shocked we don’t see headlines about Haiti more often. After all, Haiti is practically in our back yard. It’s barely a four hour flight out of Montreal or Toronto. Kyiv and Tel Aviv are at least ten hours away, yet you hear ten times as much from those compared to Haiti. I figure that’s mainly because Ukraine and Israel both have powerful lobbies in Canada, powerful enough to get attention, and results, in Ottawa. Haiti has nothing comparable. Sure, they’ve got Michaelle Jean, the first Black Governor General of Canada, but she disgraced herself in the eyes of official Ottawa, by starting a foundation to lobby for reparations for Blacks in Canada. In official Ottawa they just roll their eyes and mutter, “after everything we’ve done for her.” But back to Haiti, which has actually warranted a few news stories lately. Back in August, there were stories on multiple semi-reputable news sites, including CBC, about Erik Prince signing a contract with whoever passes for government down there, to bring in one of his private “contractor” armies to take on the gangs. I’d be delighted to provide a link, but unfortunately my ability to do links on this platform disappeared around the time the warning showed up that I’m violating community standards, so forget links – I’m glad to be able to publish at all. In case the name doesn’t ring a bell, Prince is the billionaire Trump pal who got rich by subcontracting US military jobs, because as we all know, the private sector can do everything more efficiently. And Blackwater, his mercenary outit, was so efficient at killing Iraqis that they’ve had to change their name every few years just to stay ahead of the multiple lawsuits they’re facing. That was in mid-August. Hardly a month later, Haiti hits the headlines again! Erik’s company, currently known as “Vectus Global,” looks like it’s keeping up the Blackwater tradition of mowing down civilians in the interest of peace, security, human rights, and, last but certainly not least, profits! Eight children dead and another six wounded in a drone attack, according to CBC. Ironically, on the same day, the Global Affairs Canada website announced a $60 million contribution to the security of Haiti. Hmm… I wonder how much of that will find its way into Erik’s pockets?