(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) Excellency, Ambassador Irwin Larocque -Secretary General of CARICOM Colleagues from the CARICOM Secretariat Members of the Media Ladies and Gentlemen, I am honored to be granted the privilege of being appointed as Canada’s fifth Plenipotenitary Representative to the CARICOM Secretariat.
Canada greatly values the long and friendly relationship that it has sustained with the member states of CARICOM. This is clearly outlined in the Government of Canada’s Americas Strategy, which is premised on the three pillars of democracy, prosperity and security for the region. In an evolving changing world that brings winds of change, I wish to reaffirm Canada’s commitment to the Caribbean region.
The Caribbean remains a foreign policy priority for Canada. We will continue to build on the historical, friendly partnership that our countries have sustained in both the economic as well as political and security arenas. Canada and CARICOM member states have successfully partnered on several important issues at the multilateral level, whether through the Commonwealth, the Organization of American States or the United Nations.
Building on this important component of the relationship will be an important tenet of my tenure as Canada’s Representative. In this regard, Canada will continue to favor and support regional integration, particularly through the ramping up of the 600 million ten year development cooperation package that was announced by Prime Minister Harper in 2007.
This program will help to build institutional capacity of the Caribbean Regional institutions and encourage greater regional integration. Similarly, in the economic arena, Canada is very keen to continue the advancement of trade and investment opportunities in the Caribbean region. Economic development is the key to prosperity.
Canada and CARICOM have had three rounds of negotiations towards a trade agreement. My government is satisfied with the seriousness of the third round of talks and desires to reach a conclusion on this major regional issue. We anticipate the continuation of the fruitful nature and cordial spirit that has characterized the negotiations, which will eventually lead to an agreement that replaces the 20 year old CARIBCAN trade agreement.
Canadian companies hold substantial investments in CARICOM countries, particularly in the mining and offshore financial sectors; I look forward to working on promoting not only Canadian investment in regional markets, but also the expansion of trade linkages emerging from out of CARICOM towards Canada, for the mutual prosperity of our counties. In the area of security, I wish to confirm Canada’s strong interest in strengthening public security across the Caribbean region.
We are advancing security cooperation with CARICOM countries through the various programmes using the mechanism of Anti-Crime Capacity Building Programme (ACCBP). These programme cover areas such as drug and human trafficking interdiction, combating violent organized crime, Health pandemics and natural disasters, police and judicial sector reforms. A secure Caribbean region is a strategic priority for Canada, especially in the context of the vibrant Caribbean Diaspora that makes important contributions to Canadian society.
As I embark on my tenure as Plenipotentiary Representative, I am not only honored to serve my country, I am also fully aware of the importance of the task ahead. I therefore look forward to working hard in collaboration with you and the staff of the Secretariat to enhance the long and friendly relationship that has so happily existed between Canada and the member states of the Caribbean Community, for the benefit of our countries and its citizens.
