Three Added to Haiti Sanctions List

Summary#

Canada has added three people to its Haiti sanctions list through the Regulations Amending the Special Economic Measures (Haiti) Regulations. The change, registered on March 20, 2025 and published on April 9, 2025, bars Canadians from doing business with those individuals and makes them inadmissible to Canada.

What it does#

• Adds three names to the schedule of the Special Economic Measures (Haiti) Regulations:
  • Dimitri Hérard
  • Jeantel Joseph
  • Jeff Larose
• Prohibits people in Canada, and Canadians abroad, from dealing with the listed persons. That includes:
  • handling their property;
  • entering into transactions with them;
  • providing services, funds, goods, or other support to them.
• Listed persons are made inadmissible to Canada under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.
• The listed people can ask the Minister of Foreign Affairs to have their names removed from the list.
• Penalties for willfully breaking the rules include a fine of up to $25,000 or up to one year in jail on summary conviction, or up to five years in jail on indictment.

Who's affected#

• The three individuals named above: Dimitri Hérard, Jeantel Joseph, and Jeff Larose.
• Canadians and people in Canada who might otherwise do business with or provide services to those individuals.
• Canadian banks and financial institutions, which must update screening systems to block transactions involving the listed people.
• Most Canadian businesses and the general public are unlikely to be affected directly; the government says the newly listed people have limited ties to Canada.

Why it matters#

• These measures aim to cut off finances, travel and services for people believed to be supporting violence and instability in Haiti.
• They form part of Canada’s broader response to the crisis in Haiti and align with international sanctions efforts.
• For the public, the main effects are increased screening by banks and potential criminal penalties for anyone who knowingly helps the listed people.