Canadian military plane flies home after two surveillance flights over Haiti

OTTAWA — A Canadian Forces surveillance plane was on its way home Tuesday after two flights to gather intelligence on Haiti.

The CP-140 Aurora’s return came after the Liberal government announced on Saturday that the plane would be used to gather intelligence on gang activity in Haiti.

Defense Minister Anita Anand and Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly also described the mission at the time as a demonstration of Canada’s commitment to Haiti, which has been hit by a series of crises.

Since last summer, violent rival gangs have taken over the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince. According to a United Nations report last October, gangs are sexually assaulting women and children, in addition to cutting off access to health care, electricity and clean water.

The gangs have reportedly killed and kidnapped hundreds while filling a power vacuum in a country run by politicians whose terms have expired. No elections have been held since before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Military spokesman Captain Graeme Scott said Tuesday the long-range surveillance plane was originally assigned to a US-led anti-narcotics mission in the Caribbean before being assigned to make two flights over Haiti in two days.

“The CP-140 has captured information that will be used by the Canadian government to further assess the situation in Haiti,” Scott said in an emailed statement.

“Now that the aircraft has completed this intelligence gathering, it is now en route back to Canada as part of Canada’s response to the situation in Haiti.”

It wasn’t immediately clear how the information would be used, though Haiti’s unelected prime minister, Ariel Henry, has called for a foreign military intervention that Washington says Canada should lead.

The idea has proved divisive among Haitians, and Canada has instead sought a political consensus in the country that includes sanctioning more than a dozen of the country’s political and business elite, accusing them of encouraging the gangs.

This report from The Canadian Press was first published on February 7, 2023.

Lee Berthiaume, The Canadian Press

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