Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau will host the first Canada-Caricom Summit in Ottawa from October 17-19 providing an opportunity for leaders to continue to strengthen cooperation and chart a better future for people in both regions.
“I look forward to welcoming leaders from the Caribbean Community to Ottawa this month. Canada and the Caribbean Community have built an enduring partnership over the last 50 years, based on ties between our people and our shared commitment to democracy, the rule of law and human rights,” Trudeau said, according to a press release.
“At this Summit and beyond, we will keep working together to take climate action, build strong economies and keep people safe, now and into the future,” Trudeau added.
Themed “Strategic Partners for a Resilient Future,” the Summit will thereby allow Prime Minister Trudeau and Caribbean Community (Caricom) leaders, headed by its Chair and Prime Minister of Dominica, Roosevelt Skerrit to advance shared priorities.
These include building inclusive and sustainable economies, increasing trade and investment, and promoting multilateral collaboration.
Focus will also be placed on collective efforts to fight climate change and address its impacts in the Caribbean, including by exploring ways to improve access to finance for Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in the region.
Prime Minister Trudeau will also seek to highlight the importance of reinforcing
democratic values, promoting human rights and the rules-based international order, and
strengthening coordination on regional security, including responding to the ongoing security,political and humanitarian crises in Haiti.
As the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) Advocates group co-chair, Trudeau will also promote the SDGs as the pathway for the world to build a more sustainable and prosperous future for all.
Meanwhile, the Caribbean leaders will also be presented with the platform to engage with Canadian business heads and investors to advance commercial opportunities in the region.
Notably, Canada’s two-way merchandise trade with CARICOM countries reached $1.8 billion in 2022, while bilateral trade in services reached $3.9 billion in 2021.
The Summit builds on Canada-CARICOM’s long-standing partnership, furthering conversations held in February when Trudeau visited Nassau, The Bahamas for the 44th Conference of Heads of Government of CARICOM.
Guyana is one of Canada’s largest merchandise trading partners in CARICOM. In 2022, the value of the bilateral merchandise trade totalled $294.1 million, with imports valued at $241.4 million and exports valued at $52.7 million.
Over the years, the countries have made significant efforts to strengthen their ties.
Most recently, Parliamentary Secretary to Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Maninder Sidhu who attended the 45th Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of CARICOM in Trinidad and Tobago, had also visited Guyana in July.
Among his engagements here, Sidhu met with Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Minister Hugh Todd to further discussions on energy transition and food security.
He also met key political and commercial stakeholders to get a better understanding of Guyana’s economic situation and its opportunities for Canadian companies.
