OTTAWA (CP) - The federal government has placed a travel advisory on Haiti, warning Canadians not to go there. Ottawa says the increasingly deteriorating security situation means Canadians shouldn't be in Haiti unless they have critical business or family reasons for being there.
The advisory comes after a Montreal woman said she was kidnapped there, beaten and burned with candles until her family paid a ransom.
Ottawa says it will keep its embassy in Port-au-Prince fully operational but is warning all Canadians in Haiti - including 1,100 currently registered at the embassy - to rethink their plans.
The announcement is a significant blow to Haiti because Canada sees itself as a chief development partner to the island nation.
RCMP and Canadian military personnel already in Haiti will remain there.