For Immediate Release:
January 24th, 2010
Toronto Haiti Action Committee and Pan-African Solidarity Network (University of Toronto)
Toronto, Ontario

Just five days before a magnitude 7 earthquake hit Haiti, an American and Canadian human rights/social justice delegation was finishing up an 11-day fact-finding mission. During their delegation, they met with grassroots groups, victims of violence, human rights leaders, and even
visited the prison.

The delegation had already presented its findings to the Haitian media, and was preparing to present its conclusions to the Canadian and American governments when disaster struck the country. But rather than make those conclusions invalid, the earthquake has emphasized the
importance of those findings: for example, findings about aid, and the extent to which assistance is reaching the people on the ground.

BC Holmes is a representative of the Toronto Haiti Action Committee, and a participant in the delegation, her eighth trip to Haiti since 2002. She will present a report of the delegation's findings: ineffectual/militarized aid, flawed elections processes, and an ongoing attack on Haitian wages so that the country remains mired in poverty. And rich countries like Canada and the United States are not just passive observers of these problems: our governments are, at best, deeply complicit and at worst, actively promoting an agenda for Haiti that will allow us to profit at Haiti's expense.

The presentation will be followed by a public discussion of the Haitian earthquake and how to maintain long-term solidarity with the people of Haiti, with respect for Haitian sovereignty, dignity and human rights.

When: 7pm on Thursday, January 28th, 2010
Where: OISE -- 252 Bloor St. W., Toronto, Room 213, Second Floor

For interviews contact:
BC Holmes 647-202-5922
Niraj Joshi 416-731-2325
www.thac.ca