Paul Arcelin is a Haitian who lived in Canada for many years in exile from the Duvalier dictatorship because of his political activities. He married a Canadian woman with whom he raised two children in Montréal. In 1986, following Duvalier's departure, he was asked to be the Special Adviser to General William Regala and chief of staff of his cabinet. He was also the Haitian ambassador to the Dominican Republic during the Prosper Avril government.