Members of the Haitian community in Canada are criticizing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for not addressing false claims that undocumented Haitian migrants are eating cats and dogs.
On Monday, Trudeau appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. During the interview, Colbert made a light-hearted reference to comments by former U.S. President Donald Trump, who had made similar accusations during the Sept. 10 presidential debate in Springfield, Ohio.
When Colbert asked Trudeau if Canada’s “cats and dogs are OK,” Trudeau avoided the question, saying, “I’m going to move right past that one.” Instead, Trudeau focused on a meeting he had attended about Haiti’s political crisis, which led to Colbert’s joke.
Frantz André and Darlène Lozis from Solidarité-Québec Haïti, a Haitian advocacy group, spoke to reporters at Parliament on Thursday. They expressed concern over a noticeable increase in intolerance towards Haitians since Trump’s remarks. André argued that Trump’s false claims have not only sparked prejudice but have also “authorized” open expressions of anti-Haitian racism.
“The prime minister missed an opportunity to show solidarity with the Haitian community,” André said, describing Trudeau’s lack of response as “flagrant.”
Lozis criticized Trudeau’s failure to counter the baseless claims. She said, “It wouldn’t have cost him anything to demonstrate sensitivity and empathy towards the Haitian people.”
André also highlighted that, beyond harmful rhetoric, both Canadian and American foreign policies over the past two decades have had severe impacts on Haitians, both in their home country and those who have migrated, including to Canada. “To combat anti-Haitian hatred, Canada must pursue a foreign policy independent of the U.S. and respectful of Haiti’s sovereignty,” André added.
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