Governance

Canada is a significant donor for international development programs both in Haiti and worldwide.  The country has a large Haitian population and high ranking government officials who were originally born in Haiti.  During a recent trip to Haiti, the Canadian Foreign Minister reaffirmed the government's long term committment to Haiti and new activities for partnership - activities which we believe could have a positive impact on Haiti's development.

I have seen several articles lately concerning the clay biscuits that the poorest of the poor in Haiti eat to make the hunger pangs subside. This is not a new phenomenon. Much of that clay comes from an area in between Hinche and Thomonde, where I served as a Peace Corps Volunteer.  We all know Haiti is desperately food insecure, but with hunger being such a complicated issue, do we know what to do in order to respond?  What would a Haitian “war against hunger” be like?

Haitian leaders tend to get bogged down in ever-unstable Port au Prince.  It is a matter of political survival.  However, most of Haiti is rural and certainly most of what is good about Haiti is to be found outside of its largest city.  Recently President Preval made a public tour of the Central Plateau.  We were happy to see that public health was a recurring theme of his trip.  Regardless of one's political beliefs, we can all agree increased attention to public health is essential.  When a person has health, a person has hope.  Where there is hope, there is also the possibility of development and a better future.  

Haiti's roads are awful. When I was a volunteer, a peacekeeper told me that the only worse roads he had ever seen were in Nepal.  The lack of infrastucture has affected people's ability to do business, seek health care, visit relatives, and to travel in general.  But there is good news - For the first time in a long while progress is being made on Haiti's road system. 

Haiti made the USA Today. The article begins by noting Preval's annual sppech before a joint session of parliament where he said the country loses badly needed revenue by allowing contraband in while charging exorbitant fees to businesses that import merchandise legally. 

Is a Constitution a living document?  If it cannot be changed, does this make it more relevant or does it become less relevant as a people, country, and its government changes?  There is a tradition in Latin America of scrapping and re-drafting Constitutions entirely.  Some countries have had more than fifteen in their existance.