ST. GEORGE’S, Grenada, CMC – Grenada Tuesday confirmed that it would establish a diplomatic presence in Canada, naming former government minister Sylvester Quarless as the island’s first High Commissioner to the North American country.
“Yes, the government has moved to, or we are in the process of moving to open a High Commission in Ottawa, Canada,” Foreign Affairs Minister Joseph Andall told a news conference.
“We recognize that to benefit from our diplomatic representation in that country, it is more productive and sensible to have a presence in the capital, where the decisions are made and where you are more likely to have an impact.
“So, we have started the process, and we are now awaiting several other moves, some of which are outside of our control at the moment, but once we get the green light from the Canadian authorities, we will be proceeding full steam ahead with the physical setting up of that mission,” Andall added.
Quarless, the current chairman of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), formerly served as environment and social development minister during the NDC administration from 2008 to 2013.
Grenada currently has joint representation in Ottawa through the sub-regional Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) and the appointment of an Honorary Consulate in Montreal and an Honorary Consul in Toronto.
And all said the consulate in the city of Toronto would continue to function.
“Of course, we will continue to maintain our consulate in Toronto, where the majority of Grenadians in Canada reside,” he said, without indicating what would become of the Montreal Consulate office.
Establishing the diplomatic mission in Ottawa will bring Grenada’s number of embassies worldwide to eight, with others in Cuba, the United States, the United Kingdom, Russia, Venezuela, China, and Brussels.
Canada and Grenada established diplomatic relations in 1974 after the island gained independence. Canada is represented in Grenada by the High Commission of Canada in Barbados.
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