Federal government advises against ‘non-essential’ travel to Haiti amid protests

OTTAWA — The federal government has issued a travel advisory for Haiti, warning Canadians to avoid all non-essential travel to the Caribbean nation.

The government’s travel website was updated Saturday afternoon with the warning, which advises against non-essential trips “due to civil unrests throughout the country.”

The Haitian government suspended a fuel price hike earlier Saturday after widespread violence broke out during protests.

Prime Minister Jack Guy Lafontant had originally said the country needed to raise prices to balance the budget and gave no indication he would back down.