Michäelle Jean left Canada on Saturday to visit the country of her birth, returning to Haiti for the first time since she became Governor General last fall.
Michäelle Jean, shown attending a ceremony in February 2006, fled Haiti with her family when she was 11. (CP)
INDEPTH: Canada's Governor General
During the four-day visit, Jean will witness Sunday's swearing-in of president-elect René Préval and visit a number of Canadian development projects.
Préval, a former president and prime minister, won a presidential election held in February. He is Haiti's first elected president since a bloody revolt in February 2004 ousted then-president Jean-Bertrand Aristide and plunged the country into chaos.
INDEPTH: Haiti
When Jean was 11, she and her family left Haiti in 1968 to settle in Quebec. Her father had been arrested, jailed and tortured under Francois (Papa Doc) Duvalier's regime.
The Duvalier era ended in 1986 when the dicator's son and political heir – Jean-Claude (Baby Doc) Duvalier – fled a populist movement of Haitians demanding his ouster.
Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere and one of the most violent.
In December 2005, retired RCMP officer Mark Bourque – who was part of a Canadian police contigent trying to provide security in the runup to Haiti's election – was killed in a botched kidnap attempt when gunmen opened fire on his car in Cité Soleil, the poorest and most violent slum in the country.
Details of Jean's trip kept secret
Because of the continuing violence in Haiti, details of Jean's itinerary are not being disclosed. Her only stop outside the capital will be a visit to the small seaside town of Jacmel.
Two weeks ago, Préval was in Canada to remind Prime Minister Stephen Harper's government of the enormous challenges Haiti faces and the need for immediate international aid.
During Préval's three-day visit, the Canadian government announced it was handing over an additional $48 million to Haiti to "promote good governance and democracy."