Toronto: Opposition Leader Dr. Godwin Friday expects St. Vincent and the Grenadine (SVG) to be represented at the highest level at the CARICOM-Canada Summit in Ottawa this week.
Friday told a town hall meeting here that anything else would be “an insult” to the Vincentian diaspora and a “dereliction of duty.”
The Opposition Leader’s comment Sunday night might have been a jab at Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves, who has not visited Canada for years after a Canadian lawyer made an allegation against him in a media interview.
Friday, who lived and worked in Canada for years before returning to his homeland two decades ago and holds Canadian citizenship, said the Summit is “a very, very important event.
“Because we have a special relationship with Canada going back many, many years,” he told the “Hope For Home” town hall meeting organized by the Toronto arm of the main opposition New Democratic Party (NDP), of which he is president.
“And it’s one that I believe we can cultivate, and certainly that I would, as prime minister, cultivate to seek to make a greater advantage to us,” he told the gathering at the meeting where he gave his party’s assessment of SVG and where it wants to take the country.
“So my understanding is that all the CARICOM leaders are invited, and all of them will attend. Well, all of them are expected to attend,” Friday said, to some laughter.
“Let me just say this: as important as that Summit is, if we do not have representation at the highest level, it is an insult to you, this community. And more than that, it is a dereliction of duty. Because the potential importance of that Summit is too great to take lightly,” he said.
It needs to be made clear whether Gonsalves will attend the Summit. Still, a flyer on social media announced a meet and greet with Minister of Foreign Affairs, Keisal Peters in Ottawa on Friday, October 20.
Earlier this month, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that Canada will welcome leaders from CARICOM to Ottawa for the first Canada-CARICOM Summit on Canadian soil.
“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. 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 said.
Trudeau will co-chair the Oct. 17-19 summit alongside Dominica’s Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit, the current chair of the regional integration grouping.
“As CARICOM celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, the Summit will highlight Canada’s strong ties with the Caribbean and provide an opportunity for leaders to continue to strengthen cooperation and chart a better future for people in both regions,” CARICOM said in a statement.
The Summit will be held under the theme “Strategic Partners for a Resilient Future,” Trudeau and his CARICOM counterparts “will advance shared priorities, including building inclusive and sustainable economies, increasing trade and investment, and promoting multilateral collaboration.
“The leaders will also work to fight climate change and address its impacts in the Caribbean, including by exploring ways to improve access to financing for small island developing states in the Caribbean,” CARICOM said.
During the Summit, Trudeau will 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 Haiti’s ongoing security, political, and humanitarian crises.
The leaders will engage with Canadian business leaders and investors to further regional commercial opportunities.
As co-chair of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Advocates Group, Trudeau will take the opportunity to advance the SDGs – the pathway for the world to build a more sustainable, peaceful, and prosperous future for everyone.
Canada has long-standing ties with many CARICOM countries on a wide range of shared priorities, including trade, security and defense, international assistance, and governance.
This Summit is expected to build on Canada’s work to strengthen ties with the region, including Trudeau’s visit to The Bahamas earlier this year to participate in the 44th Conference of Heads of Government of CARICOM.
More than two million Canadians travel to CARICOM countries annually, and over 10,000 students from CARICOM study in Canada every year.
In 2022, Canada’s two-way merchandise trade with CARICOM countries reached CAD$1.8 billion (One Canadian dollar=US$0.73 cents). In 2021, bilateral trade in services reached CAD$3.9 billion.
and then  to be represented at the highest level at the CARICOM-Canada Summit in Ottawa){kind=link}