Your Excellency Bruno Picard, High Commissioner and Plenipotentiary Representative of Canada to the Caribbean Community;
Deputy Secretary General;
Representatives of the Canadian High Commission;
Members of the Media;
Members of Staff of the Secretariat
Excellency, today I am honoured to welcome you High Commissioner Bruno Picard, and to receive through you, a letter from the Honourable Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada, designating you as Plenipotentiary Representative of Canada to the Caribbean Community. I welcome you Excellency, not just to the headquarters of the Community's Secretariat, but to the Caribbean Community and Caribbean family.
As we all know, designation as a Representative to the Caribbean Community is granted to a Plenipotentiary Representative of a friendly State, which has relations with the Caribbean Community. These relations might be through the conclusion of Agreements or the establishment of Joint Commissions to pursue or strengthen the implementation of existing Agreements between CARICOM and that State. Representatives of countries, which contribute substantially to the programmes of the Community, are also so designated.
The Representative is the official conduit of his or her country to the Community in the promotion of relations between that Country and the Community as a whole.
I must however emphasise, Your Excellency, that the relationship between your country, Canada and CARICOM goes well beyond the workings of this facility.
Canada is a close friend of CARICOM. CARICOM and Canada have enjoyed a long history of friendship and alliance. We have been partners in a very special and mature relationship: a relationship that over the years has been renewed and strengthened at the levels of Heads of Government, Ministers, officials and technocrats.
The “special relationship” that exists between the Caribbean Community and Canada has been facilitated by our shared values and objectives, which include the strengthening of democracy and the rule of law; the attainment of economic prosperity; and the realization of the full social and economic potential of our people. Caribbean-Canada relations date back many years with the Canada-West India Trade Agreement established of 1925, replaced in 1979 by the Canada-CARICOM Trade and Economic Agreement. The last 40 years, with the commencement of the independence process in CARICOM Member States, have been particularly important as Canada and CARICOM have cooperated, not only at the bilateral, but equally at multilateral levels in the political, economic, and cultural domains.
Canada from the outset has displayed unwavering support for the Caribbean integration process. This has been extremely significant, your Excellency, because it portrays Canada's understanding of the importance of this objective for our Region as well as its interest in the well-being of our people. The two ships, the Federal Maple and the Federal Palm, gifts by Canada to the Region will, for example, always remain symbols of Canada's contribution to Caribbean integration.
More recently the Caribbean Community welcomed the financial aid and fraternal support provided by Canada in the wake of the devastating hurricanes which swept through our Region in September this year, causing tremendous loss of life and property in Member States like Grenada, Jamaica and Haiti. The continued support of Canada is highly appreciated by CARICOM.
Another positive dimension of our relationship of mutual benefit is reflected in the large numbers of persons of Caribbean origin who have made Canada their home, and who continue to contribute in key professional and leadership roles in their communities and the national life of Canada.
Excellency, as important as the road CARICOM and Canada have already traveled together, is the mission that lies ahead. I say with certainty that there is much need, space and opportunity for increased collaboration between the countries of our Community and Canada. CARICOM will continue, for example, to work with Canada and the international community as we seek to have stability and security returned to our Member State, Haiti.
The basic fact is that Canada has always shown a readiness to discuss issues with the Caribbean Community affecting the people of the Region, on the basis of trust and mutual respect and with a determination to fashion a way forward, even in the most difficult of circumstances. Also, as regards issues affecting the hemisphere, given the interest which CARICOM Member States and Canada share in a strengthened hemisphere of the Americas, we will no doubt pursue ever-greater collaboration on matters which come before hemispheric institutions and bodies.
The next Meeting of the CARICOM-Canada Joint Trade and Economic Committee – our bilateral institutional forum – should offer an opportunity to make progress on a number of issues relating to both bilateral and hemispheric domains. The Region looks forward to hosting that meeting, the eleventh such gathering, in the new year on a date suitable to both sides.
In closing, Your Excellency, your accreditation here as the Plenipotentiary Representative of Canada to the Caribbean Community, is one that is greatly welcomed as it is certain to continue to enhance and deepen the historical friendly relationship which exists between the Caribbean Community and Canada.
Indeed, CARICOM governments and people are confident that our special relationship will endure for many years to come bringing with it, lasting benefits for Canada and the countries of the Caribbean Community.
Your Excellency, welcome, and best wishes for a successful and rewarding tour of duty.
