Members of the Haitian community in Canada are criticizing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for not shutting down false claims that undocumented Haitian migrants are eating cats and dogs.
Trudeau appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert Monday when the host jokingly alluded to comments made by former U.S. president Donald Trump about migrants eating pets in Springfield, Ohio. Trump made those claims during the Sept. 10 presidential debate.
During the segment, Colbert asked Trudeau whether Canada’s “cats and dogs are OK,” but the prime minister dodged the question, replying, “I’m going to move right past that one.”
Trudeau was highlighting a meeting he attended about Haiti’s political crisis as an example of Canada bringing together countries that are “trying to have a positive impact on the world,” which prompted the joke.
WATCH | PM Trudeau praises Canada on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert:
Thursday, Frantz André and Darlène Lozis of Solidarité-Québec Haïti — a Haitian advocacy group — told reporters at Parliament that they noticed a “rise in intolerance” of Haitians since Trump amplified false rumours.
André noted that Trump’s false claims not only fuelled prejudice but also “authorized, in a way, open expressions of anti-Haitian racism.”
“The prime minister did not take the opportunity to show solidarity with the Haitian community,” André said, calling Trudeau’s silence on the topic “flagrant.”
The activists said some Haitians complained that since Sept. 10 neighbours and co-workers have barked and meowed at them.
Lozis described the incident as a missed opportunity for Trudeau to stand with the community and push back against baseless comments.
“It wouldn’t have cost him anything other than saying and demonstrating his sensitivity and empathy toward the Haitian people,” Lozis said.
After Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump claimed that illegal immigrants were eating dogs and cats in Springfield, Ohio, ABC News Presidential Debate moderator David Muir said the city manager told ABC News ‘there have been no credible reports’ of such incidents.
André added that beyond hateful remarks, it is “the racist Canadian and American foreign policies of the last two decades that have had serious consequences for both Haitians in the country and those forced to immigrate to other countries, including Canada.”
“To end anti-Haitian hatred, Canada must adopt a foreign policy independent of the U.S. and, above all, one that is respectful of Haiti’s sovereignty,” André said.
A spokesperson for the Prime Minister’s Office declined to comment.
