June 27, 2023

I watch, in dismay, as key Haitians are sanctioned without any sort of realistic criteria..

Some of the  sanctions I can understand, as can Haitian society. Known drug dealers, thieves of earthquake funds, pillages of Petro-Caribe Cash, violators of human rights….

Haitians “KNOW” the “BAD GUYS.”

Bigio and Boulos immediately pop into people’s minds as valid targets of sanctions. 

Guns and Gangs

Haitians know their local drug smugglers, gun-runners, murderers, criminal political figures, human rights abusers and assorted negative elements

They also know those who do not belong among this trash, vacuumed up, by  foreign elements, obviously unaware of any sort of Haitian reality.

Some names have been included because business enemies have slipped these in through a social contact, which feeds into political channels, ending with SANCTIONS by the Canadian, American and other governments.

Once fired, the bullet seems impossible to return to its source.

Governmental units do not wish to seem unprofessional in their actions.

And so the damage remains uncorrected.

Such a target is Reynold Deeb, one of Haiti’s leading businessmen. He doesn’t deal in drugs, illegal weapons and is not involved with gangs,  as are many others 

The Canadian government sanctions have paralyzed much of his business and social life, as well as those of his family.

It is problematic for one of Haiti’s biggest businessmen to conduct normal business, when his contacts do not know what the Canadians or Americans might do, on the spur of the moment.

Unlike many Haitian business leaders, Deeb pays his taxes. I have seen a list of Haitian taxpayers and his name sits at the top of the list, with payments in excess of $38,000,000. 

He pays a fortune in port fees and customs charges as he brings much of Haitian foodstuffs to the local market. Derail Deeb and you create a trainwreck in the Haitian supply chain.

When approached, with the facts, contacts within Canada’s Foreign Affairs admit to their error, but are hesitant to take any corrective action, removing the impediments to Deeb’s normal life.

There is political embarrassment in doing the right thing.

By failing to take honest, responsible action,  the Foreigner adds more to the ongoing, accelerating Haitian chaos, a chaos they hope to slow via Sanctions.

Haiti will slide further towards the Abyss via these ill-conceived corrective actions, put into play by Canada and the USA, without any real understanding of the facts involved.

MICHAEL COLLINS