Canada, US and allies talk aid for Haiti at virtual meeting

TORONTO (AP) — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said immediate action is needed to fix the security situation in Haiti and that additional aid is a central topic of a virtual meeting Friday that includes cabinet officials from Canada, the United States, France and other countries.

Trudeau spoke at the start of the meeting hosted by Canada, which is home to 165,000 people of Haitian origin. There is a deepening constitutional crisis in Haiti following the July 7 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse, as well as a climate of violence in neighborhoods dominated by criminal gangs.

Trudeau said Haiti must rebuild and one of his ministers announced an additional $50 million Canadian ($39 million) in aid.

“The increase in violence is only worsening the already precarious humanitarian situation. We must work together to restore stability, and to protect the safety and well-being of the Haitian people,” Trudeau said.

“This will require immediate action to mitigate violence and to support the National Police of Haiti.”

Trudeau said deep governance problems are fueling the crisis in a country where delayed elections have left many posts unfilled.

Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly said clashes between gangs have made aid deliveries difficult.

Moïse’s killing complicated an already fragile political situation in Haiti.

He had been ruling by decree for more than a year after dissolving a majority of Parliament in January 2020 amid a delay in legislative elections.

Opponents, meanwhile, claimed that Moïse's own term should have ended in February 2021, while he insisted it should continue to Feb. 7 this year — the fifth anniversary of his inauguration, which had been delayed by controversy over his election.

Shortly before his death, Moïse had tapped current interim...