The Mark 2010

Rebuilding Haiti will take more than just bricks and mortar. It will also mean restoring good governance.

What will it take to rebuild Haiti? This was the question that foreign ministers from various countries addressed at the Friends of Haiti Conference in Montreal this Monday. Ministers spoke about their vision of a new Haiti, and how the earthquake’s devastation can be an opportunity to start fresh and re-build the social, economic, and political fabric of the country.

Canada, as one of the major aid donors in Haiti, and with its objective of reengaging in the Americas, should use this opportunity to reshape and expand its aid program in Haiti, concentrating on areas where it can truly make a difference.

One of these priorities should be Canada’s program of democracy support and good governance assistance. Haiti must continue on its democratic path, now more than ever. Citizen frustration and anger at the utter inability of the government to respond in the quake’s aftermath must not be allowed to deepen into cynicism against government and its leaders.

The reconstruction of Haiti will be an immense effort. It will require a long-term perspective with both a clear sense of direction and effective control and coordination. Some argue that this requires some kind of “enlightened authoritarianism,” or a strong-armed form of governance presided over by the international community. We must resist this temptation. The Haitians and their government must take the rebuilding of their society in their own hands.

In fact, many facets of Haiti’s nation-building work had already begun before the earthquake, starting with the implementation of the international cooperation agreement that paved the way for the 2006 democratic election.

The nascent progress in building good governance institutions in Haiti must be deepened. Canada must continue its support to build the capacity and legitimacy of the executive government, the parliament, the public administration, and the rule of law. These institutions must become instruments used for the people’s good and welfare.

Nothing brings this need into sharper focus than the vivid images of poverty, dysfunction, and despair wrought by the earthquake. Pictures of a collapsed National Palace and the destroyed parliament building carry extra symbolic weight.

Where do we begin? Our own experience in the Parliamentary Centre provides an example. Through a CIDA funded project, the Centre provides technical support to the institutional set-up of the Haitian Parliament (e.g. rules of procedure, legislative lexicon, committees) and provides assistance in drafting legislation and in developing tools and mechanisms for parliamentarians to reach out to civil society organizations and listen to the concerns of their constituents. Small, but important progress, has been made in these areas, the most notable being the increasing interest of members of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate in the training and capacity building activities.

How de we build momentum in the aftermath of the earthquake? The Haitian Parliament has set up temporary headquarters at the National Police Academy. The Senate is meeting to discuss the creation of two special commissions: one to oversee the actions taken by the state and the international community; the other to monitor the government’s sectoral decisions. The deputies have also met to get organized and become operational as soon as possible. The immediate need is to provide adequate space, furniture, and equipment, as well as logistical and administrative support so that both chambers of parliament can meet and conduct their business.

Parliament’s work must continue as the recovery and reconstruction of the country proceeds. But it will need help to make it an important forum for national dialogue on the future of Haiti – an effective voice for the interests and aspirations of the people, one that’s capable of holding the government and the international community to account for its promises of support and partnerships in the development of a new Haiti.

We believe that Canada, as a friend of Haiti, can and should champion governance support as an important aspect of reconstruction.