Question Period Note: Canada's Humanitarian Assistance in Haiti

Canada is deeply concerned about the humanitarian situation in Haiti

• Canada is strongly committed to providing principled, needs-based and effective humanitarian assistance in Haiti that meets the differentiated needs of women, men, boys and girls.
• Canada is concerned by the recent increase in violence and its humanitarian impact on civilians, particularly women and children. We are calling for safe, rapid, and unhindered access to those in need.
• In 2021, Canada has allocated more than $13 million in humanitarian assistance to Haiti, including $10 million to the World Food Programme (WFP) for food assistance and support to the UN Humanitarian Air Services (UNHAS).
• This funding also includes over $5.8 million to respond to the August 2021 earthquake in Haiti through the WFP, the Red Cross Movement, Doctors without Borders, and the Canadian Humanitarian Coalition, partly under the Matching Fund mechanism.
• Canada will continue to work with experienced partners to address the humanitarian needs of vulnerable people in Haiti.

The United Nations estimates that 4.4 million people in Haiti are in need of life-saving humanitarian assistance due to gang violence, chronic food insecurity, and natural disasters. This number is expected to reach 4.9 million in 2022.

Since early June 2021, Haiti has experienced a drastic upswing of deadly gang-related violence, triggered by a reconfiguration of gang alliances and territorial disputes. Over 1.5 million people are estimated to be affected by this violence, of which at least 19,000 are newly internally displaced. The increase of violence and blockage of roads and port terminals have also affected economic activities throughout the country and are interrupting the distribution of essential goods, including fuel and food. The fuel crisis in the country continues to severely hamper both commercial activities and humanitarian operations.

Food insecurity, a chronic issue, has been on the rise in Haiti since 2009. An estimated 4.4 million Haitians (over 40% of the population) are facing acute food insecurity, a rise in nearly 400,000 people since September 2020. Haiti's agricultural production has declined over time and does not meet domestic demand, resulting in an import-dependent food supply. Food security and nutrition are negatively affected by widespread poverty, unsustainable livelihoods, vulnerability to shocks and stressors, elevated food prices driven by high production and import costs, insufficient social programmes and inadequate dietary habits, among other factors.

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