The Communist Party of Canada condemns the assassination of Jovenel Moïse, the de facto president of Haiti, which occurred the night of July 6 to 7. The assassination was carried out by a commando group of 28 mercenaries, 26 from Colombia and 2 from the United States. Beyond the political intrigue surrounding who organized this attack, we are concerned that this operation only reinforces the local reactionary oligarchy in addition to providing new pretext for another military occupation by the imperialist powers (notably the Core Group member countries of which Canada is a member).
This assassination takes place in a context of escalating violence, but most notably during large mobilizations of the Haitian popular masses against Moïse demanding his departure, since his mandate was supposed end on February 7 according to the constitution. It should be added that since the winter of 2020, Moïse ruled by decree, the parliament (controlled by the opposition to the presidential party Tèt Kalé) was dissolved after the terms of office expired and legislative elections were not organized due to a lack of favorable conditions, in particular because of the pandemic.
In addition to this, Moïse and his acolytes were trying to force a constitutional referendum which, according to many, would return the country to the time of Duvalierism by concentrating even more power in the hands of the President and by replacing the post of prime minister with a vice-president. Moïse justified this maneuver by claiming that the current system (inherited from the 1987 Constitution, itself the result of popular mobilizations that got the better of Duvalier) was the origin of the political chaos in which the country is plunged.
However, the political, social and economic crisis facing Haitians is the result of military interventions, coups d’état, plundering of natural and human resources, neocolonialism and a ruling class that obeys Western imperialism, especially Canadian, American and French imperialism. The fact that a president can be assassinated by a handful of men is a prime example revealing the puppet character of the Haitian state.
Even if the current situation remains nebulous, one thing is certain: the assassination of Jovenel Moïse does not pave the way for a solution favouring the people to the various crises in Haiti.
On the contrary, those approached to succeed him include Nicolas Duvalier (son of Baby Doc) and the former “macoute” Michel Martelly, among others. If there is one side that emerges stronger from this assassination, it is the most reactionary elements and imperialism, as evidenced by the recent announcement of a possible deployment of US troops to this Caribbean nation.
The Communist Party of Canada reiterates our solidarity with the Haitian people. We also condemn the government of Canada’s role in creating the social, economic and political crisis in which the Haitian people have been plunged for several decades. Canada actively took part in the coup d’état against the democratically elected President Jean-Bertrand Aristide in 2004. We are conscious that the first step towards a popular exit from this crisis must pass through the restoration of the sovereignty of the country – so dearly acquired in 1804 – both political and economical. We demand the immediate withdrawal of Canada from the Core Group and the end of any interference in the internal affairs of the country. Finally, we pledge to mobilize against any potential attempt of Canadian military intervention following this attack.