A final assisted flight from Haiti for Canadians will take place on Sunday

Photo: Odelyn Joseph archives Associated Press A man fled as riot police fired tear gas in an attempt to chase away street vendors in Port-au-Prince on Tuesday, April 2.

The Canadian Press in Ottawa

April 5, 2024

• Americas

The last assisted flight planned from Haiti for Canadians will take place on Sunday, indicated the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mélanie Joly.

The minister said the federal government has helped more than 250 Canadians, permanent residents and their eligible family members leave the country in recent weeks.

She added that the number of people “who are able or willing to leave Haiti on an assisted departure flight has decreased significantly,” and as a result, a final flight will depart on Sunday.

Ottawa indicated earlier this week that it was expanding its plan to evacuate people from Haiti to include relatives of Canadians and permanent residents. Until then, Canada transported people with valid Canadian passports from Haiti to the neighboring Dominican Republic by helicopter.

Also read

• More than 13,000 Haitian migrants returned to their country despite the violence
• In Haiti, gangs vandalize cultural and educational buildings
• More than 53,000 people fled Port-au-Prince in March

“Extremely unstable”

“My message to Canadians, permanent residents and their eligible family members in Haiti is this: If you want to leave Haiti, now is the time to do so . If you would like us to help you do this, you should contact Global Affairs Canada,” reads a written statement from the minister on Friday.

Ms. Joly also said that Canada's missions in the region are actively monitoring a security situation in Haiti that remains “extremely unstable.”

This Caribbean country has been facing a political and humanitarian crisis since mid-2021. Gangs are committing violence across the country while limiting access to food and basic necessities.

The situation worsened further last month, when progress toward foreign military intervention prompted gangs to release prisoners and close Haiti's main airport.