Caricom pleased with Canada’s approach to trade pact

Caricom Secretary General Irwin LaRocque expressed satisfaction with what he described as the “keen and earnest approach” that Canada was taking towards the Caricom-Canada Trade and Development Agreement.

The Caricom secretary general expressed these sentiments on Thursday, September 29, at a ceremony for the presentation of credentials by the new Ambassador of Canada to Caricom, David Devine, at the regional bloc’s headquarters at Turkeyen, East Coast Demerara.

LaRocque said that while there were some sensitive issues on both sides to be worked out, he was confident that the “excellent Caricom and Canadian negotiators, buoyed by the political goodwill which is driving this initiative, will find mutually acceptable solutions, leading to the early conclusion of the agreement”.

“It is my expectation that this trade and development agreement will redound to the benefit of both Canada and the Caribbean Community,” Ambassador LaRocque stated.

Caricom began negotiating the trade and development agreement with Canada in November 2009 in Barbados. The parties completed the third round in April 2011 in Ottawa, Canada. Reflecting on the longstanding trade relations between Caricom and Canada, Ambassador LaRocque recalled that it had its genesis as far back as the late 19th century, when Canadian flour and codfish and Caribbean rum constituted the backbone of trade between the North American country and the Caribbean.

This relationship has now matured and it has expanded to include cooperation on development and political issues, and technical assistance, Secretary General LaRocque said.

In accepting the letters of credence of Ambassador Devine, LaRocque highlighted the role Canada continues to play in support of Haiti’s integration into the Caricom Single Market and Economy (CSME) through the reopening of the Caricom Representation Office in Haiti (CROH).

Acknowledging the critical importance of Canada’s support in re- establishing the CROH, Ambassador LaRocque said that the office served to raise the profile of Caricom in Haiti, and vice versa, through people-to- people contact and public information sharing, particularly through the media.

The Caricom SG also used the opportunity to commend Canada on its role as “an exemplary global leader, quietly but steadfastly promoting the principles of peace, stability and development”. He stated that the community was “deeply appreciative” of Canada’s effort as an advocate of Caricom’s interest in the G-20, which owed its design and establishment to Canada.