Military mission to Haiti ‘not in play’ but not ‘off the table’ Biden says during Ottawa visit

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OTTAWA — Deploying a military force to Haiti is “not in play at the moment,” though the idea isn’t “off the table” entirely, U.S. president Joe Biden said in a joint press conference with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

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Biden said any such solution “would have to be done in consultation with the United Nations and with the Haitian government.”

Biden was in Ottawa for his first presidential visit, where he gave a speech to the House of Commons Friday. Haiti’s ongoing political and humanitarian crisis was one of the key issues expected to come up during the trip.

The United States has been looking for Canada to take a leading role in addressing the worsening situation in Haiti, which is mired in violence and instability caused by gangs. The Liberal government has resisted deploying any kind of mission, and experts have said there is no clear solution to the ongoing crisis.

Asked whether he was disappointed Canada isn’t taking a bigger role in a multilateral force in Haiti, Biden replied he was not.

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“Look, this is a very, very difficult circumstance,” he said. “I think that what the prime minister has spoken about makes a lot of sense.”

On Friday, the Liberal government announced $100 million in help to the Haitian National Police “to bolster Haitian-led solutions to the crisis and support peace and security.” Trudeau told reporters in French the approach includes strengthening the capacity of the Haitian National Police and introducing new sanctions to put pressure on elites in the country. Canada added two more names to its sanctions list Friday.

Biden said “the biggest thing we could do, and it’s going to take time, is to increase the prospect of the police departments in Haiti having the capacity to deal with the problems.”

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He added “we also are looking at whether or not the international community, through the United Nations, could play a larger role.”

Biden did indicate leaving the situation in Haiti unresolved could contribute to ongoing migration issues, another key issue around the trip. On Friday, a new agreement between Canada and the United States to control the number of migrants entering Canada through unofficial border crossings was made public. The agreement, which applies to irregular crossings like Roxham Road, comes into effect Saturday.

“There is no question that there is a real, genuine concern, because there are several million people in Haiti, and the diaspora could cause some real, how can I say it, confusion in the Western Hemisphere,” Biden said.

Article content

OTTAWA — Deploying a military force to Haiti is “not in play at the moment,” though the idea isn’t “off the table” entirely, U.S. president Joe Biden said in a joint press conference with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Article content

Biden said any such solution “would have to be done in consultation with the United Nations and with the Haitian government.”

Biden was in Ottawa for his first presidential visit, where he gave a speech to the House of Commons Friday. Haiti’s ongoing political and humanitarian crisis was one of the key issues expected to come up during the trip.

The United States has been looking for Canada to take a leading role in addressing the worsening situation in Haiti, which is mired in violence and instability caused by gangs. The Liberal government has resisted deploying any kind of mission, and experts have said there is no clear solution to the ongoing crisis.

Asked whether he was disappointed Canada isn’t taking a bigger role in a multilateral force in Haiti, Biden replied he was not.

Article content

“Look, this is a very, very difficult circumstance,” he said. “I think that what the prime minister has spoken about makes a lot of sense.”

On Friday, the Liberal government announced $100 million in help to the Haitian National Police “to bolster Haitian-led solutions to the crisis and support peace and security.” Trudeau told reporters in French the approach includes strengthening the capacity of the Haitian National Police and introducing new sanctions to put pressure on elites in the country. Canada added two more names to its sanctions list Friday.

Biden said “the biggest thing we could do, and it’s going to take time, is to increase the prospect of the police departments in Haiti having the capacity to deal with the problems.”

Article content

He added “we also are looking at whether or not the international community, through the United Nations, could play a larger role.”

Biden did indicate leaving the situation in Haiti unresolved could contribute to ongoing migration issues, another key issue around the trip. On Friday, a new agreement between Canada and the United States to control the number of migrants entering Canada through unofficial border crossings was made public. The agreement, which applies to irregular crossings like Roxham Road, comes into effect Saturday.

“There is no question that there is a real, genuine concern, because there are several million people in Haiti, and the diaspora could cause some real, how can I say it, confusion in the Western Hemisphere,” Biden said.