Canada is evacuating ‘must vulnerable’ citizens from Haiti: Joly

Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly says Canada has airlifted 18 Canadians out of Haiti, as assisted departures began from the Caribbean nation on Monday.

Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly says Canada has airlifted 18 Canadians out of Haiti, as assisted departures began from the Caribbean nation on Monday.

“We know the security situation has deteriorated in recent weeks,” Joly said.

“Now the gangs have taken the airport leaving no way to leave Port-au-Prince without putting families in danger.”

Joly told reporters in Ottawa that Global Affairs Canada (GAC) is prioritizing the most vulnerable Canadians in Haiti first, this includes those with urgent medical needs or have children.

She said that officials have reached out to fewer than 100 Canadians in Haiti so far, and 30 have expressed interest in leaving.

Canadians are being flown by helicopter to the Dominic Republic at this point, and Joly said that due to visitor restrictions in the Dominican, this option is only available to Canadian citizens with a valid Canadian passport.

According to GAC, there are currently 3,039 Canadians in Haiti registered with the Registration of Canadians Abroad service. It also said their Emergency Watch and Response Centre has responded to 245 enquiries since March 3, mostly on general travel information and the overall security situation.

This comes after Global News reported that Canada’s elite special forces, Joint Task Force Two (JTF2), had deployed a unit in Haiti at Canada’s embassy in the capital Port-au-Prince, according to sources.