Foreign Affairs committee  Prime Minister Trudeau and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mélanie Joly, have done a lot of work with members of the Haitian community in Canada. They've been listening to that community. Earlier I said that one of our guiding principles in all aspects of our response to the situation in Haiti is to continue to listen to Haitians.

Foreign Affairs committee  Each of the political groups has its own base, its own members, whom it represents, and each of them—

Foreign Affairs committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. Each of them must agree on the appointment of its representative. This process takes time. It is Haitian-led and, most importantly, it is not being imposed by the international community.

Foreign Affairs committee  Mr. Chair, I mentioned that Canada was doing a lot in terms of humanitarian aid and development assistance. The United Nations has also launched an international appeal for $674 million in donations. In the current circumstances, it's very difficult to get humanitarian aid to the people who need it most.

Foreign Affairs committee  For the past 30 months, Haitians have been working to establish a political governance entity capable of leading them to free and fair elections. The agreement reached on Monday, March 11, was indeed a positive and important step. It should come as no surprise that its implementation remains challenging.

Foreign Affairs committee  Mr. Chair, following the latest iteration of the crisis in Haiti, which began when President Jovenel Moïse was assassinated, Canada took the time to establish contacts with Haitian representatives from a variety of sectors. We've maintained those relationships because it's really important that we listen to the voices of the Haitian people in order to better guide our response to this crisis.

Foreign Affairs committee  Mr. Chair, Haitians have been working for 30 months to establish a political governance entity capable of leading them to free and fair elections. The transitional governance arrangement committed to on March 11 was an extremely positive step. That said, its implementation remains a challenge, which is no surprise.

Foreign Affairs committee  Mr. Chair, let me begin by saying that no one is indifferent to the situation in Haiti. Everyone agrees that action is urgently needed and that Canada is very much involved. Canada has been doing a lot for Haiti for a long time. That was the case in the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake.

Foreign Affairs committee  Mr. Chair, Canada's $380 million in assistance to Haiti specifically has been provided over the past two years. A large portion of this assistance is dedicated to developing humanitarian aid. We are in constant contact with our partners on the ground to overcome obstacles and challenges related to the delivery of this development and humanitarian aid.

Foreign Affairs committee  That's correct.

Foreign Affairs committee  Yes, I will.

Foreign Affairs committee  Thank you. My name is Sylvie Bédard and I'm joined by my colleagues Sébastien Beaulieu and Sébastien Sigouin. I will give you an overview of the situation in Haiti, Canada's response to it, as well as the impact the situation is having on our employees and on Canadians who are in Haiti right now.