Trudeau speaks with Haiti's outgoing PM about crisis, need for political agreement

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has spoken with Haiti's now-departing prime minister about the ongoing humanitarian, security and political crises in that country.

A readout issued by the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) late Monday said Trudeau expressed his concern to Ariel Henry about the situation in Haiti, and that he underscored Canada's longstanding support for Haitian-led solutions.

Henry announced early Tuesday that he would resign once a transitional presidential council is created.

«The government that I'm running cannot remain insensitive in front of this situation. There is no sacrifice that is too big for our country,» Henry said in a videotaped statement.

«The government I'm running will remove itself immediately after the installation of the council.»

Henry has been locked out of his own country while travelling abroad, due to surging unrest and violence by criminal gangs that have overrun much of Haiti's capital and closed down its main international airports.

The readout of Trudeau's conversation with Henry says Trudeau reiterated the critical need for a political agreement among Haitian stakeholders that was inclusive and would create the conditions for free and fair elections and the restoration of democratic order.

«Prime Minister Trudeau and Prime Minister Henry reaffirmed the strong bond between Canada and Haiti,» the PMO readout noted.

Quebec has a large Haitian community, estimated at more than 140,000.

Many Haitian Montrealers are worried about loved ones amid the violent attacks that have paralyzed the Haitian capital, including Wedne Colin, who says his family members have had to flee their homes several times to find a place that's safe from the armed gangs he says have seized control of the capital city