NDP demands action from Conservatives on denationalization of Haitian Dominicans

Deeply concerned by the Dominican Constitutional Court’s recent decision to denationalize thousands of descendants of Haitian immigrants, Official Opposition Leader Tom Mulcair wants to know what actions the Conservative government has taken since the NDP sounded the alarm.

In a letter to Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird last week, the NDP leader urged the Conservative government to voice Canada’s concerns to the Dominican Republic just as NDP Foreign Affairs critic Paul Dewar did the previous week.

“Like the UN, we are very concerned about this decision which threatens the fundamental civil and human rights of nearly 250,000 descendants of Haitian immigrants. We are totally opposed to this decision which will have disastrous consequences,” said the NDP leader.

“Threatening the fundamental rights of hundreds of thousands of people who have made the Dominican Republic their new country and have lived there for decades is unacceptable, not to mention the impacts on Haiti which is experiencing a serious humanitarian crisis. The government must show support for these Haitians,” said NDP candidate for Bourassa Stéphane Moraille who is originally from Haiti.