Trudeau travelling to Bahamas next week to meet with Caribbean political leaders

OTTAWA –

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will be travelling to the Bahamas next week to meet with his counterparts from 20 Caribbean governments.

A release from Trudeau’s office says he will be in Nassau on Feb. 15 and 16 as a special guest of the 44th Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community, commonly referred to as Caricom.

The statement says Haiti will be a key discussion topic as leaders wrestle with ways to support a country beset by political instability and rising gang violence.

Hundreds have been killed and kidnapped by gangs who have filled a power vacuum in Haiti, where no elections have taken place since before the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Haitian government has called for international military support to stabilize the country, and U.S. officials have said Canada would be an ideal option to lead such a force, but Trudeau has said Ottawa will only act based on a political consensus of Haitians.

Canada announced last week it sent a long-range patrol aircraft to Haiti to help monitor gang activity, co-ordinate the delivery of vital security equipment and provide humanitarian support.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 11, 2023.