Canada launches programme to get citizens out of violence-hit Haiti

Canada has organised helicopter flights for ‘vulnerable’ citizens to leave Haiti for the neighbouring Dominican Republic.

Canada has launched a programme to get its citizens out of Haiti, as the Caribbean nation grapples with a surge in gang violence, political instability and a widening humanitarian crisis.

Speaking to reporters in Ottawa, Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said on Monday that her government would assist “the most vulnerable Canadians” in leaving Haiti for the neighbouring Dominican Republic.

This includes Canadian citizens with medical conditions or those who have children, Joly said.

“At present, the Dominican Republic has strict [eligibility] requirements for all those entering the country. Only Canadian citizens who have a valid Canadian passport will be eligible for this assisted departure,” she told reporters.

Joly said 18 Canadian citizens had left Haiti via the programme on Monday.