Petition to the Government of Canada
Whereas:
Haiti is experiencing a dire political, economic and humanitarian crisis comparable to Syria, Afghanistan and Ukraine;
Haiti’s situation has continued to worsen especially after the assassination of president Jovenel Moise on July 7, 2021. The population is suffering, dying, being displaced by hundreds of thousands as reported by the International Organization for Migration;
According to the UN, gangs have taken over Haiti and cases of sexual violence and terrorism have increased including kidnapping up by 105% and homicides up by 35%;
The US launched with a temporary humanitarian program for Haitians to sponsor their family to come to the US for safety;
As of March 2023, Canada approved over 600,000 Ukrainians and more than 180,000 have already arrived to find safety;
Similarly, Canada welcomed more than 28,000 Afghans through special immigration measures and resettled over 40,000 Syrian refugees; and
Canada’s compassion is well known as a strength of our nation’s fabric and must continue to be shown to all people facing humanitarian crises.
We, the undersigned, Citizens and Permanent Residents of Canada, call upon the Government of Canada to 1) Create a Canada-Haiti Humanitarian Visa Program allowing Citizens and Permanent Residents of Canada to help their Haitian family members to find temporary safe residence in Canada in dignity and grant them the ability to work and study while in Canada; and 2) Provide Haitians who are already in Canada a temporary residence status option to acquire or extend their work and study permit so that they can continue to live, work and study in Canada temporarily.
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