Canadian military plane heads home after two surveillance flights over Haiti
A Canadian Armed Forces surveillance plane was heading home on Tuesday after two intelligence-collecting flights over Haiti.
The CP-140 Aurora's return came after the Liberal government announced on Saturday that the plane was being deployed to collect intelligence on gang activity in Haiti.
Defence Minister Anita Anand and Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly also described the deployment at the time as a demonstration of Canada's commitment to Haiti, which has been battered by a series of crises.
Violent, feuding gangs have taken over the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince since last summer. A United Nations report last October said gangs are sexually assaulting women and children, in addition to curtailing access to health care, electricity and clean water.
The gangs have reportedly killed and kidnapped hundreds, while filling a power vacuum in a country led by politicians whose terms have expired. No elections have been held since before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Military spokesman Capt. Graeme Scott said Tuesday the long-range surveillance plane was originally assigned to a U.S.-led counter-narcotics mission in the Caribbean before being tasked with conducting two flights over Haiti over two days.
"The CP-140 has been capturing information that will be used by the government of Canada to further assess the situation in Haiti," Scott said in an emailed statement.
"As the aircraft has now completed that information gathering, as part of Canada's response to the situation in Haiti, it is now on its way back to Canada."
It wasn't immediately clear how the information will be used, though Haiti's unelected prime minister, Ariel Henry, has requested a foreign military intervention, which Washington says Canada ought to lead.
The idea has proven divisive among Haitians, and Canada has instead sought a political consensus in the country, which includes sanctioning more than a dozen of the country's political and economic elites, accusing them of emboldening the gangs.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 7, 2023.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Police identify two of eight migrants pulled from water near Akwesasne, Que.
The Akwesasne Mohawk Police identified two of the eight migrants whose bodies were pulled from the St. Lawrence River earlier this week, but said Saturday they're still searching for a local resident whose boat was found near the victims.

Hungry iguana bites and infects toddler with rare bacterial infection before snatching her cake
A rare infection with tuberculosis-like symptoms was reported in a toddler after an iguana bit her before snatching away a slice of cake on a trip to Costa Rica.
W5 investigates | Priest, neighbours issue plea for help for struggling international students in Cape Breton
Cape Breton University has more than doubled in size by enrolling thousands of international students, and critics say the campus and community weren't ready. Watch the documentary 'Cash Cow' on CTV W5, Saturday at 7 p.m.
Interim RCMP commissioner Duheme 'very concerned' about foreign interference
As questions continue to swirl around the issue of other countries' meddling in Canadian affairs, interim RCMP Commissioner Michael Duheme says he's 'very, very concerned' about foreign interference, and would like to see the national force be able to use intelligence as evidence in its investigations.
Migrant bodies in St. Lawrence 'heartbreaking' but 'predictable,' advocate says
After the bodies of several people were discovered in the St. Lawrence River, who authorities say were likely trying to cross illegally into the U.S., a migrant advocate is questioning why people are fleeing Canada.
April storms bring May norms: Weather Network’s seasonal forecast
The latest seasonal outlook from The Weather Network shows early April will continue to be chilly with flip-flopping temperatures bringing above and below the usual levels of precipitation seen around this time.
At least 21 dead after tornadoes rake U.S. Midwest, South
Storms that dropped possibly dozens of tornadoes killed at least 21 people in small towns and big cities across the South and Midwest, tearing a path through the Arkansas capital, collapsing the roof of a packed concert venue in Illinois, and stunning people throughout the region Saturday with the damage's scope.
A glass of wine or beer per day is fine for your health: new study
A new Canadian study of 4.8 million people says a daily alcoholic drink isn't likely to send anyone to an early grave, nor will it offer any of the health benefits touted by previous studies, even if it is organic red wine.
Federal minimum wage, taxes on alcohol: Here's what's changing in Canada April 1
The federal minimum wage is increasing from $15.55 per hour to $16.65, and taxes are going up on gas and alcohol nationwide starting April 1.
W5 HIGHLIGHTS
W5 investigates | Priest, neighbours issue plea for help for struggling international students in Cape Breton
Cape Breton University has more than doubled in size by enrolling thousands of international students, and critics say the campus and community weren't ready. Watch the documentary 'Cash Cow' on CTV W5, Saturday at 7 p.m.

W5 profile | The Canadian who creates the real, but fake, sounds in Hollywood blockbuster films
W5 profiles the man who makes the sounds for breaking bones and squealing tires in Hollywood’s biggest films; and he does it from a small town in Ontario. Watch 'Sound Farms' at 7 p.m. on CTV W5.

W5 Investigates | 'Canadians should be very concerned about their drinking water': W5 investigates asbestos cement pipes
W5 investigates aging asbestos pipes across Canada and the potential health hazards if it ends up in your tap water. Watch W5's 'Something in the Water' on CTVNews.ca and W5's official YouTube channel.

Interactive | Map: Where are the asbestos cement pipes delivering drinking water in Canada?
W5 investigates aging asbestos pipes across Canada and the potential health hazards if it ends up in your tap water. An interactive map and chart on W5.CTVNews.ca shows where in Canada these asbestos cement pipes are being used.
W5 | Comedian Russell Peters doesn't pull punches in climate of 'cancel culture,' 'political correctness'
CTV W5 speaks with members of the comedy industry, including Russell Peters, for a wide-ranging look at how political correctness and 'cancel culture' has changed the world of stand-up comedy.
W5 EXCLUSIVE | New police force should be appointed to take over investigation into death of teenaged hockey player, complaint says
An Ontario couple has filed a request with the Office of the Independent Police Review Director (OIPRD) to appoint a new police force to investigate the death of their 17-year-old son Benjamin, who died during a hockey team-bonding event in September 2019.
W5 Investigates | How did a healthy teen die at a minor hockey camp?
The parents of young Ontario hockey player Ben Teague have been searching for answers since he died while at a team retreat in 2019. The mystery about what happened and the code of silence in hockey culture is explored in CTV W5's 'What Happened to Ben,' on CTVNews.ca and W5's official YouTube channel.
W5 | Parents of young player who died struggle to find answers within hockey's code of silence
The parents of young Ontario hockey player Ben Teague have been searching for answers since he died while at a team retreat in 2019. The mystery about what happened and the code of silence in hockey culture is explored in 'What Happened to Ben' on CTV W5.