• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

Haitian-Montrealers Hope Jean's Arrival Will Inspire City's Young Haitians

Posted on: Tuesday, 27 September 2005, 18:00 CDT

By PETER RAKOBOWCHUK

MONTREAL (CP) - At first, Louis Regis just grinned proudly when he was asked what it meant for Montreal's Haitian community to have Michaelle Jean as Canada's new Governor General.

Then the words started flowing. "It's important for the community, especially as we've always had problems with young Haitians who get together in groups to do bad things," Regis, a 70-year-old taxi driver, said as he listened to the swearing-in on his radio.

"Now they might be able to think about things, see her and try to change."

There are an estimated 130,000 people of Haitian origin living in Quebec, mainly in Montreal.

About of them, many carrying Haitian flags, went to Ottawa on Tuesday to celebrate the roots of the new Governor General, whose family moved to Canada from the Caribbean island in the 1960s.

"We can't have anything more positive in our life than this," said Haitian-Montrealer Jesse Williamson, who made the trip to Ottawa.

"With Michaelle Jean, the Haitian people is being recognized from a different angle because usually it's negative, but here it's positive.

"So we're proud."

Jean, 48, was born in Haiti and moved to Quebec when she was 11 to flee the repressive regime of Francois (Papa Doc) Duvalier in 1968 after her father, a school principal, was tortured.

After a hard upbringing in Quebec, Jean went on to learn several languages, become an award-winning journalist and do extensive community work with the poor and with battered women.

That's the kind of attitude Maurice Hubert is hoping rubs off on Haitian-Montrealers.

"It's a very important day for Haitians," Hubert, 64, said in an interview.

"We are proud of Michaelle Jean, proud of Canada and proud of Prime Minister Paul Martin who picked one of ours to be Governor General of Canada."

Hubert said Jean's appointment was fully deserved because she is a woman of character with morals.

"It sends a message to all blacks in the world that if they are disciplined and study hard, they can do anything in any country of the world."

Regis said her appointment also casts Canada in a favourable light around the world.

"Canada is a country that is open to everyone. This shows other countries that Canada is really open and has no barriers."

Source: Canadian Press

More News in this Category