On the occasion of the 218th anniversary of the Haitian Revolution, the Communist Party of Canada (Marxist-Leninist) sends warmest greetings to the Haitian people at home and in the diaspora.

Jean-Jacques Dessalines

Beginning in 1791, the enslaved peoples of the French colony Saint-Domingue rose up in organized resistance to overthrow both slavery and colonial rule. The revolutionaries, led by Toussaint L’Ouverture and Jean-Jacques Dessalines, fought off successive European powers — the French, Spanish and British — to proudly establish their independent republic, Haiti, on January 1, 1804.

This mighty feat dealt a severe blow to the French colonial empire and was an important contribution to all oppressed and enslaved peoples and their national liberation struggles in Latin America, the Caribbean and beyond. The Haitian Revolution was the first to define citizenship rights on a modern basis, namely that they belong to people by virtue of their being human as members of a body politic. This was a decisive break from the conception of rights of the colonial powers based on the ownership of property and a system of privileges. Haiti’s outstanding achievement continues to have great relevance to this day for the peoples of the world as they fight for new arrangements that recognize rights on a modern basis.

The indomitable spirit of the Haitian revolutionaries lives on in their descendants and compatriots, many of whom live and work in Canada. By upholding the dignity of labour in this country, they make a contribution second to none.

The Haitian revolution’s profound affirmation of rights and sovereignty continues to characterize the people’s steadfast resistance to interference from foreign powers. From 1804 to the present, the colonial and imperial powers have worked non-stop to wreak vengeance on the Haitian people who continue to fight for peace, freedom and democracy without let-up.

In the recent period, the consequences of the 2004 military coup against the democratically elected President of Haiti, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, continue in the crises and corruption imposed on Haiti. That crime, followed by ongoing foreign interference has not only blocked the people year after year from electing a government which defends their interests, but has deepened the crisis. The situation degenerated into unprecedented anarchy and violence last year, when factions of the ruling elite carried out the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse on July 7, 2021. As well, the servitude to foreign and private interests carried out by Moïse and other illegitimate politicians brought in by corrupt elections has also made the Haitian people extremely vulnerable to natural disasters, such as the 2010 and 2021 earthquakes as well as tropical storms.

CPC(M-L) condemns the role played by Canada, along with the United States and France, to keep the people of Haiti in a state of misery and bondage. In 2022, let us continue the work to see that Haiti achieves justice and, especially, that Canada makes reparations for its criminal role in the 2004 coup and over the years since then, and ceases its diplomatic, military and police interference in Haitian affairs.

All Out to Support the Haitian People to See that Justice Is Done!

Mass protests take place across Haiti on March 28 and 29, 2021, to affirm their right to be the decision-makers in all matters that affect their lives and for an end to foreign interference.

Protest in Montreal, demands Canada stop supporting the corrupt government of Jovenel Moïse, March 21, 2021.

Chicago, March 29, 2021.

(Photos: TML, C. Olivier, G. Mirambeau)