Haitian Montrealers commemorate 15 years since earthquake

It's been 15 years since a devastating earthquake in Haïti. A commemoration was held in Montreal for the victims and the survivors Sunday afternoon.

Organizers say it's a way to show their native country's strength despite the challenges it faces.

The names of victims were read aloud at the ceremony and those gathered had a solemn moment.

Many remember where they were when they first heard the news.

“A good friend of mine called me, asked me if I had a television in my office, I said no. He said ‘There's something big and wrong going on in Haiti right now,’” says Liberal MNA Frantz Benjamin.

“My father was there for a visit and i didn't have news from him from the, from January 12th till ten days after.”

Marjorie Villefranche, of Maison d'Haïti, says she couldn’t believe what she was seeing.

“Suddenly a lot of people start coming, no one wanted to be alone,” she says.

By that time, the extent of the deaths and damage wasn't clear.

The Haitian government estimates more than 222,000 people died, although that figure is disputed.

Among those who didn't make it were former Liberal leader Dominique Anglade’s parents. She shared her story in the national assembly of finding out her family members were gone.

After the quake, Canada introduced special immigration measures to fast-track applications.

Benjamin says at least 7,000 people came to Canada.

Now Haitians make up the largest immigrant group in Montreal, with nearly 5,000 more than the next country of origin.

Benjamin says he saw their impact on the front lines of the COVID pandemic.

“I saw a lot of members of that community, those people who came then in 2010, who are now nurses, or something else in this health system helping to save lives,” he says.

While the commemoration is to show solidarity, Villefranche recognizes there are still ongoing problems --- more than 5,600 people were killed in gang violence in Haïti last year. She wants the narrative around the country to change.

“We are fed up of hearing when they speak out about it all the time, saying the poorest country in the hemisphere. There are other words to have as the definition of Haïti,” Villefranche says.

One of them, she says, is bravery, and that's why this ceremony is so important.

“We find some strength to for the year. And this is what we are going to do this year. Again,” she says.