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The Haiti Super Thread- Merged

Canadian Press:
"OTTAWA - The most senior ranking Canadian military officer in Haiti has been relieved of command and is the subject of an internal investigation.":
http://www.thecanadianpress.com/english/online/OnlineFullStory.aspx?filename=DOR-MNN-CP.481591a3161f4ef9a9dd9ed22551347c.CPKEY2008111303&newsitemid=3898706&languageid=1
 
Well, they sure are making room for the lower ranks to get a shot at the big leagues!
 
Canadian commander in Haiti sacked, faces probe
http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/TopStories/20100709/haiti-commander-sacked-100709/

The Canadian Press
Date: Friday Jul. 9, 2010 5:31 PM ET
OTTAWA — The most senior ranking Canadian military officer in Haiti has been relieved of command and is the subject of an internal investigation.
Col. Bernard Ouellette, who doubles as the chief of staff to the United Nations mission in the earthquake-battered country, is facing several allegations -- including that he was involved in an inappropriate relationship.
A spokesman for Canada's overseas command refused to discuss the allegations, saying an investigation was underway by the chain of command, but that Lt.-Gen. Marc Lessard decided it was best for morale of the small team to relieve Ouellette.
Lt.-Col. Chris Lemay, a spokesman for CEFCOM, would only say the allegation of an inappropriate relationship did not involve another member of the Canadian military.
Ouellette, who won praise for his cool handling Canada's relief effort following the massive earthquake that destroyed UN headquarters in Port au Prince, was at the end of a year-long deployment to Haiti and was relieved on June 26.
The latest case comes as the military continues to investigate Brig.-Gen. Daniel Menard, who was stripped of command in Afghanistan for allegedly having an inappropriate relationship with a female subordinate.
Lemay says Ouellette's firing was not made public when it happened because he is considered a staff officer and Menard had a more high-profile public role.
 
Umm inappropriate relationships must be catching.Better innoculate all Colonels and Generals. :)


Canadian commander in Haiti relieved of duty
Last Updated: Friday, July 9, 2010 | 6:28 PM ET Comments25Recommend19
The Canadian Press

The most senior ranking Canadian military officer in Haiti has been relieved of command and is the subject of an internal investigation.

Col. Bernard Ouellette, who doubles as the chief of staff to the United Nations mission in the earthquake-battered country, is facing several allegations — including that he was involved in an inappropriate relationship.

A spokesman for Canada's overseas command refused to discuss the allegations, saying an investigation was underway by the chain of command, but that Lt.-Gen. Marc Lessard decided it was best for the morale of the small team to relieve Ouellette.

Lt.-Col. Chris Lemay, a spokesman for Canadian Expeditionary Force Command, would only say the allegation of an inappropriate relationship did not involve another member of the Canadian military.

Ouellette, who won praise for his cool handling Canada's relief effort following the massive earthquake that destroyed UN headquarters in Port-au-Prince, was at the end of a year-long deployment to Haiti and was relieved on June 26.

The latest case comes as the military continues to investigate Brig.-Gen. Daniel Menard, who was stripped of command in Afghanistan for allegedly having an inappropriate relationship with a female subordinate.

Lemay says Ouellette's firing was not made public when it happened, because he is considered a staff officer. Menard had a more high-profile public role.
© The Canadian Press, 2010

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2010/...#ixzz0tEDSEbFl
 
Infanteer said:
Well, they sure are making room for the lower ranks to get a shot at the big leagues!

I guess they'll need to change the toast for promotion to " A bloody War, Sickly season and sexual misconduct."

On a side note, every time I met Col. Ouellet, he was noting but professional in every aspect. I sure hope for his sake that those are
only allegations...
 
He is accused of a "relationship" with a UN staffer.
Tell me again why that is so bad. And not just because that is the rules.
Rules, man made, can be changed. Is it correct that other nation's military force, US ?, doesn't have this restriction ?
 
From CBC

Col. Bernard Ouellette, who was the chief of staff for the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti, is under investigation, said Lt.-Col. Chris Lemay, a spokesman for Canadian Expeditionary Force Command.
Lemay said the decision was based on Ouellette's "inability to address a negative environment that lasted a few months, which affected the morale and team cohesion within the Canadian contingent."
The "situation within the team deteriorated," Lemay added

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2010/07/09/haiti-officer-canadian.html

 
Baden  Guy said:
He is accused of a "relationship" with a UN staffer.
Tell me again why that is so bad. And not just because that is the rules.
Rules, man made, can be changed. Is it correct that other nation's military force, US ?, doesn't have this restriction ?

That is not correct, US Forces are not that different, excerpts below are taken from:
http://usmilitary.about.com/od/justicelawlegislation/a/adultery_4.htm

Adultery in the military is actually prosecuted under Article 134, which is also known as the "General Article." Article 134 simply prohibits conduct which is of a nature to bring discredit upon the armed forces, or conduct which is prejudicial to good order and discipline.

There are three "Elements of Proof" for the offense of Adultery in the (US) Military:

    * (1) That the accused wrongfully had sexual intercourse with a certain person;

    * (2) That, at the time, the accused or the other person was married to someone else; and

    * (3) That, under the circumstances, the conduct of the accused was to the prejudice of good order and discipline in the armed forces or was of a nature to bring discredit upon the armed forces.

The Manual For Courts-Martial now require commanding officers to consider certain factors when determining whether or not adultery has a direct negative impact on the military, and should be considered a criminal offense:

    * The accused's marital status, military rank, grade, or position.

    * The co-actor's marital status, military rank, grade, and position, or relationship to the armed forces.

    * The military status of the accused's spouse or the spouse of co-actor, or their relationship to the armed forces.

What all of this means is that many incidents of "adultery" may not be considered a punishable "crime" in the military, unless the commanding officer determines that there is some kind of direct  negative impact on the military itself.
 
Simian Turner said:
There are three "Elements of Proof" for the offense of Adultery in the (US) Military:

    * (1) That the accused wrongfully had sexual intercourse with a certain person;

    * (2) That, at the time, the accused or the other person was married to someone else; and

    * (3) That, under the circumstances, the conduct of the accused was to the prejudice of good order and discipline in the armed forces or was of a nature to bring discredit upon the armed forces.

That pretty much the same as our section 129... even if he didn't do it, it's probably possible to get him with that ::)


 
Then some women, just by their looks cause prejudice to the good order....... ;D
 
Eye In The Sky said:
Perhaps you should wait for your own situation to improve (re: your posting history), and be in the CF before you comment too much on CF members who break rules, and "what is going on in the CF" type stuff.  You know, that pot/kettle thing.

Thats my  :2c:

Whats with the big increase here with all these guys and girls who aren't even IN the CF yet talking about whats wrong with the CF and what we need to change?

 
Canada extends commitment to United Nations mission in Haiti
NR - 10.018 - September 17, 2010
OTTAWA – Today, the Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence announced the Government of Canada has extended until March 2011 its commitment to provide an additional 5 Canadian Forces staff officers to the Mission des Nations Unies pour la stabilisation en Haïti (MINUSTAH), the United Nations stabilization mission in Haiti.

After the earthquake that devastated Haiti on January 12, 2010, the CF contingent known as Task Force Port-au-Prince temporarily doubled in strength from five to ten members.  The additional 5 CF personnel were deployed to the region after a request from the United Nations for more personnel and are currently employed as staff officers at the United Nations mission's military headquarters.  Canada's support to MINUSTAH also includes approximately 150 police officers.

“The efforts of our personnel help to maintain a secure and stable environment for the development of Haiti,” said Minister MacKay.  “Canada continues to play an important role as the mission in Haiti transitions from disaster assistance to humanitarian relief.”

The members of Task Force Port-au-Prince bring expertise in logistics, planning, administration, and communications support to the MINUSTAH Headquarters.  These additional five positions will continue to be deployed in support of MINUSTAH throughout the recovery period of the humanitarian response to the earthquake. After March 31, 2011, MINUSTAH Headquarters plans to return to its pre-quake configuration, and the Canadian Forces Task Force Port-au-Prince will return to its original strength of five staff officers.

MINUSTAH was established under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter by United Nations Security Council Resolution 1542 of April 30, 2004, with a mandate to maintain a secure and stable environment, support Haiti’s constitutional and political process, and protect human rights. Its initial term of six months has been repeatedly extended, most recently to October 15, 2010, by United Nations Security Council Resolution 1892 of October 13, 2009.

OP HAMLET page here - MINUSTAH page here.
 
More help - this, via CP:
The federal government is going to spend more than $10 million to help build the new headquarters of Haiti's national police force and train them in first aid.

Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon made the announcements in Montreal on Thursday.

Ottawa will spend $9.5 million over two years to help build the police headquarters in the ravaged Caribbean country.

Canada will also spend $1.3 million over two years to train emergency workers in first aid under the supervision of St. John Ambulance.

The hope is to train 7,000 police officers as part of the program in basic life-saving skills.

Canada currently has 134 police officers in Haiti, compared with 90 before last January's earthquake ....
 
This from the Canadian Press:
"We just think the Canadian government cannot stand by while cholera ravages Haiti," the Liberal leader told reporters in Montreal on Monday.

"This is a country that has been in the inner circle of the damned for the past year."

An estimated 1,250 people have died from the cholera and thousands of others have become sick.

Ignatieff says Ottawa should send "a strategic evaluation mission right away" to take a closer look at the situation in the Caribbean country.

"Once we've done an evaluation around what's needed, it may be necessary to send the DART team or maybe even some element of a military mission to basically help these cholera hospitals get this thing under control," he said ....

More on Haiti's cholera issues at the EC's news aggregator site here.
 
Hmm - my strategic opinion is that the place looks alot like it was in 2004 when I left except with rubble from the earthquake.  It is therefore unlikely to improve drastically in the near future.  Why don't we just set up a permanent CFB in PaP, since we keep either wanting to or actually sending people downthere on a constant basis?

MM
 
medicineman said:
Hmm - my strategic opinion is that the place looks alot like it was in 2004 when I left except with rubble from the earthquake.  It is therefore unlikely to improve drastically in the near future.  Why don't we just set up a permanent CFB in PaP, since we keep either wanting to or actually sending people downthere on a constant basis?

MM

Not a bad idea...
 
Their MP paid us a visit down there in '04, seeing as the vast majority of her constituants were from the area.

MM
 
UPDATE

Reproduced under the Fair Dealings provisions of the Copyright Act.


Canadian aid to Haiti gets mixed results

26/11/2010 7:02:22 PM

CBC News

LINK

For months, Humanity First Canada's shipments to help Haitians affected by the earthquake have languished at a Port-au-Prince port, racking up storage fees as the company fills out costly paperwork and pays taxes.

"We were trying to help the people in Haiti, and the government itself is making problems," said Hassam Naeem, the agency's logistics director.

Naeem is in Haiti for the third time trying to free the shipments. Each day that passes, the port charges him an additional $20 storage fee for each of two large containers there and is seeking thousands of dollars in taxes.

"They're trying to get as much money out of our pockets as possible," said Naeem, who worries the funds are lining the pockets of officials.

Where's the aid?

Canadians generously opened their wallets after the Jan. 12 earthquake devastated Haiti, a Caribbean nation that remains the poorest in the Western hemisphere. Individuals donated a total of $220 million to Canadian charities, an amount matched by the federal government.

About one-third - $146 million - went to emergency shelter, medical aid, water and sanitation in the immediate aftermath, but a large portion of the total $440 million has yet to be spent.

Ten months later, the slow pace of progress worries some people who want to help Haitians.

Martine Ste. Victoire is among those feeling disillusioned. The Montreal woman organized several big fundraisers for aid agencies, including the Red Cross, but stopped in March.

"The reason why I stopped doing fundraisers is I didn't know where the money went."

Ste. Victoire says she asked the Red Cross for a breakdown of how the money was spent, but the information wasn't detailed enough for her.

"Anybody who is giving money to an NGO has the right to demand to see where it goes."

Additional frustrations, she says, were the share of donations spent on salaries, the inefficiencies in relief efforts and the lack of local help on projects.

Jim Scott, president of the Windsor, Ont.-based company Ground Effects Inc., is in a similar boat. He says he gave up trying to get shipments into Haiti. About 380 of his temporary housing units arrived in March and sat at the airport until June.

There were plans to send 10,000 units and train 150 Haitians in how to assemble them. Instead 20 Haitians were trained and 380 units assembled.

"What we thought was going to be a two-year project in Haiti was a two-month project," he says.

Scott's company, which started up a year ago, sells its housing units to Angola and Sri Lanka and is trying to secure a contract in Senegal. Haiti, by comparison, was "3,000 times more difficult," to get products into, he says.

Pre-earthquake, more than 10,000 non-governmental organizations were operating in Haiti, according to the World Bank. It's the second highest number of NGOs per capita after India.

It's unknown how many have flooded into the country since the quake. Some NGOs are well-established in the country, while a number of Christian missions and small groups dot the landscape.

Getting results

Critics say the patchwork of agencies working single-mindedly on their own projects causes a lack of co-ordination and focus in relief efforts, hindering a rapid response. Meanwhile, the government is criticized for slow action on reconstruction and on the cholera epidemic.

Karen Huxter, a Newfoundland woman running an orphanage and school in rural Artibonite province, thinks her small-project approach gets results and is more accountable.

"You'll see photos, you'll get reports and you can even go down and be part of it," Huxter said of her donors.

Since the earthquake, the 65-year-old, fondly nicknamed Helicopter by her staff, has been busy rebuilding and fixing structures on her Hands Across the Sea Haiti Mission compound near Deschapelles. Huxter focuses on hiring local Haitians and keeping children in-country, rather than trying to get them adopted by people in other countries.

All money donated to the Canadian-registered charity goes to the cause specified, says Huxter, unless it sent in as a general donation.

"If I didn't need the whole thing, I would write and say, 'OK, here's all the bills. This is what it cost. May I use that for something else?'"

For example, about half of the $50,000 donation received from St. John's City Council in late August has already been spent on projects such as rebuilding walls at the school and on a new water tower.

Costs of running her mission, including the school and orphanage, are $12,000 to $15,000 a month. That pays for 11 orphanage staff, eight full-time teachers and 10 part-time teachers at the 303-student school. Huxter doesn't take a salary herself and began the project 10 years ago with $78,000 of her own savings.

Haiti's poor shape before the earthquake - when latrines, sanitation, clean water and other basics were lacking - has complicated efforts to rebuild. The United Nations is trying to tackle those larger issues during reconstruction.

"We're not rebuilding. It's transformation," says Nigel Fisher, a Canadian who heads United Nations humanitarian efforts. "It's something new."

Canadians, he says, should have no doubt their donations make a big difference in establishing basic services and helping people with their daily needs.

"It kept 1.5 million people sheltered. It's kept people from January until now getting regular clean water that's chlorinated ?it has enabled people who never had latrines before to have latrines in camps so that you don't get diarrhea."

The Canadian Red Cross says it has experienced few logistical challenges, thanks to co-operation with the Haitian Red Cross, though there have been backlogs at Customs. Of the $200 million received, Richard Clair, the agency's country representative, says about $71 million has been allocated.

"We're working as fast as we can in the conditions we have," Clair says. Projects include 353 shelters being built in La Piste area of Port-au-Prince. Deaf, displaced people will be the first to inhabit the five-person homes when a section opens in January.

Clair says a small portion of donations - about five to seven per cent - goes to administrative overhead. Shipping and logistics can be expensive, but he adds that, "Those are the costs of business."

For Karen Huxter, the visibly slow pace of progress in Haiti's capital is frustrating.

"I cannot go to Port-au-Prince without crying ... because I don't see any advancement. I don't see where things have changed. So I'm asking the same questions, where is the money?"

But large aid agencies say rebuilding a better Haiti is a long-term commitment that could take a decade or more.

Nigel Fisher of the United Nations urges Canadians to not give up.

"In a sense, stay with us because you don't turn around [a country] overnight."



 
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