Patrice Bernier has been a talisman for Canadian soccer for years, up until his recent retirement this past October. The former midfielder began his career with the Montreal Impact before bolting to Europe and returning to Montreal prior to the team joining Major League Soccer in 2012. All the while, Bernier picked up 56 caps at the national level for Canada.
However, Bernier’s “roots” lie in Haiti, the Caribbean nation of nearly 11 million strong that is the birthplace of his parents. Despite not having visited Haiti, he still feels a connection to the country and the city’s Haitian community. This past Tuesday morning saw Bernier announce the second edition of “Patrice Bernier and Friends,” a charity futsal event that benefits the Maison d’Haiti, located in the Saint-Michel district of Montreal.
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“I wanted it to be a soccer event because it’s what I play,” Bernier said at the press conference. “In Quebec and Canada, hockey is the number one sport, but there’s not many charity soccer events and I wanted to lend a hand.”
Bernier’s celebrity status in Montreal has also allowed him to connect with a number of Haitian-Quebecers, especially for the Maison d’Haiti event. Last year’s event raised $7,000 and featured a number of Haitian-Quebecer celebrity guests including boxing world champion Adonis Stevenson, and former Montreal Canadien Georges Laraque.
Le match des célébrités #PBetsesamis arrive très rapidement! Bien content de soutenir @mhaitiorg 🇭🇹
— Patrice Bernier (@pbernier10) January 17, 2018
17 février 🗓. Mettez une croix dans votre agenda!
Tous les détails ici: https://t.co/e1IS1AgecX
📸 Marc-André Donato pic.twitter.com/HIlPDehSZo
Founded in 1972, the Maison d’Haiti is dedicated to promoting and improving conditions for Haitian-Quebecers in the city. Bernier’s father once volunteered for the Maison after immigrating to Montreal in the 1970s, which made it easy for the organization to approach the former star to be an ambassador.
“My dad, for about 25 years, has always contributed or found a way to help,” Bernier said. “Thanks to my dad, I learned a lot about the Maison d’Haiti. After attending a few events, I started trying to work out how I could help out the organization,
“There are a lot of [Haitian] youth here, who are new to the country, who need help. They might not be refugees but a lot of them need help. To give these kids hope in their dreams and to give them a place, not a refuge, but a place where they can work on their dreams and keep them off the streets. The Maison d’Haiti means a lot.”
The country of Haiti has been in the news recently, with U.S. President Donald Trump allegedly referring to Haiti, and some African nations, as “shithole” countries. Of course, Bernier took exception.
“That disturbed me,” Bernier said. “Haiti was once the pearl of the Antilles in the 70s. It was once great. It just needs help to be great again. Those comments, they hurt because at the end of the day you’re trying to say people from there are worth nothing.”
Bernier occasionally sends soccer equipment to Haiti, and while he acknowledges that he hasn’t made the time to visit his parents’ birthplace, perhaps seeing young kids living out their dreams adorned in Bernier’s apparel may be worth visiting.
“I have to go there definitely and see where the stuff is going, and seeing the kids and my roots. Because those are my roots.”