Harper Does Good in Haiti
- Thread starter Colpy
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After more thought and some chatting with friends, I have to agree with you JLM. The high rate of unemployment alone, somewhere in the 60% range I believe, makes the idea all but impossible.
Another idea might be to open up immigration for employable Haitians with the proviso that they agree to settle in the Far North. We need to beef-up our presence in the North and this might be one way of doing so.
Just trying to come up with some solutions to the problems facing this poor country.
One thing for sure, Mowich, moving them from the Tropics to the Arctic would certainly give them an opportunity to prove their versatility.
It would that, JLM. They might have a bit of culture shock to begin with but having a paying job and being a part of a growing community would at least provide stability in their lives which from what I see is badly lacking right now. For sure they would not have to worry about earthquakes and hurricanes.
BTW the "aid" we give is in the form of loans.
What we'll end up doing what we always do when disaster strikes the very poor region of the Americas. We'll build new top of the line resorts, restaurants, and timeshares by importing workers while the locals rebuild their homes from dirt or cinder block and cladding.
When the resorts are finished the men will sit around all day selling drugs to tourists while their women clean out rooms and wallets.
What we'll end up doing what we always do when disaster strikes the very poor region of the Americas. We'll build new top of the line resorts, restaurants, and timeshares by importing workers while the locals rebuild their homes from dirt or cinder block and cladding.
When the resorts are finished the men will sit around all day selling drugs to tourists while their women clean out rooms and wallets.
Gee, I don't know... maybe some people who are truly thankful to be out of the hell-hole that is their country right now. Or, people who are so glad to have a second chance that they will work hard to be contributing members of our society. Who knows, maybe we might even get a few people of the same caliber as our GG.
What does a hay-farmer do between the planting and the mowing? The ideal life for some would be to get to an island where it is always warm and kick back (do nothing of any importance)
We can't even get our own people into the far north (and really what would they do once they got there) Financially supporting them in a hostile climate would be cheaper than financially supporting them in their current location.
Recently France was said to be willing to forgive a $50 M debt ............. I have a better idea, why doesn't France and their Bankers (still in power today but bigger) make amends for past thefts, for a start, the 20th century is another period where the citizens were robbed via various ways that were not always above-board. Haiti is not obligated for a debt she had not agreed to. It was only in WWII that the Banks first had all 'loans to Nations' 100% honored no matter who won/lost the various conflicts.
Obviously before then the 'winner' was never responsible to pay the 'lose'r for anything. It was the 'Nation' who lost material things and the 'Bankers' who lost monetary things. Banks used their money to help quell the quest for freedom from slavery. You snooze you lose, all the money paid was extortion money and it should be repaid with interest and a very big fine.
"Not a word from proud France who defied the American War machine over Iraq, but has kept silent over these two centuries when concerning the 150 million gold francs it extorted from Haiti in 1838. The number was later lowered to 90 million gold francs but the factual story behind the extortion goes as such. Under the guise of a cessation of hostilities (a promise to curb re-invasion), repaying indemnities and for the loss of “property” (slaves) during the Revolution, France demanded payment. And of course since Haiti had no such sum in their treasury at the time, French bankers eagerly paid the first 30 million gold francs at exorbitant almost mafia-inspired interest rates. So high that it was not until 1947 that Haiti was actually able to repay THAT particular “loan”. By the mid to late twentieth century the IMF’s policy of changing it’s agricultural focus and conditional foreign aid had since indebted the island nation beyond ruin. In the wake of this current tragedy, I believe France should immediately repay the blood money it stole years ago no matter its legal apprehensions of reparations. This isn’t about reparations for slavery it’s about the over 20 billion dollars in the modern equivalent paid to a reinstated tyrannical king. It is not the pinnacle of restoring Haiti, but the beginning of repair."
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Break open the Banks for them. We owe the Bank some $600B, it gets bigger every year and we will never, ever pay it off so why not let Haiti run up a similar debt. Give them two accounts so they can pay their 'banker fees' and a balance that never falls under $0.25 no matter how much they spend, and let them buy from whomever they want. If they want Russian or Chinese communication systems it is their choice. If we give them $100M they should be the ones to determine how/where it is spend, it does not have to retiyn to Canadian companies.
Being so far away we shouldn't say anything about how they want to handle their recovery, stay quiet and keep signing the checks or just stay quite and don't sign any checks. Monetary aid is not aid when the 'giver' decides how the money will be spent.
Their closest neighbors should be the ones enabled to offer the most assistance, that includes all Southern and Central American countries. in particular.
Suing is always an approved way to get rich in the West, perhaps a new thread listing all the ones Haiti could sue might be in order.
It was about if 'we' (actual decision makers in Canada) have the 'right stuff' to tell Haiti how they should handle their recovery. I have no problem with the Gov throwing lots of 'grants' their way (taxpayer funded with no repayment or any strings attached). How many seriously injured do we currently have in our hospitals?
Sorry, absorb into our society as fully equal members (of the class called the poor).
Apparently the job isn't finished because we still have a government entity that takes care of the various issues that come up as disagreements.
Indian and Northern Affairs Canada - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Department Mandate
Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) is responsible fulfilling federal government obligations and commitments to First Nations, Inuit and Métis, and for fulfilling the federal government's constitutional responsibilities in the North and on lands held in trust. INAC delivers its programs through partnerships with Aboriginal communities and federal-provincial or federal-territorial agreements. INAC also works with urban Aboriginal people, Métis and Non-Status Indians (many of whom live in rural areas) through the Office of the Federal Interlocutor.[9] INAC also manages the resources and lands of federal lands, including land and subsurface leases and resource royalties.
Polar Bears and frost-bite are not less threatening to life and limb.
Just what are you going to have them do?
LOL INAC was set up to spin it's wheels with high attrition of staff so nothing gets done other than give Native men and women resume experience on how to run a govt of their own in circles.
Dump a litre of kerosene on that ministry, light a match and walk away briskly then rebuild with full representation of First Nations from coast to coast to coast. Wedge them in between parliament and senate and you'd have a real govt.
Good question. BEfore we send any of them up there, there has to be jobs for them. That will not be easy to do. I know one problem we have in Canada and that is financing necessary new infrastructure. And that infrastructure is needed mainly because Canada's population in heavily concentrated in half a dozen fairly small areas. Could some manufacturing be relocated to places like Yellowknife? The MacKenzie River would be a great transportation corridor at fairly low maintenance costs. I think the possibilities are endless, but there is one great problem- most people don't want to move.
Good grief, MHz, when was the last time you heard about mass killings by polar bears? As far as frostbite, have you ever heard of gore tex?
What we will ask of them has yet to be decided. However, I see the need for doctors, nurses, engineers, miners, coast guard personnel, etc. etc. just to name a few possibilites.