By OSWALD T. BROWN
WASHINGTON, D.C., October 18, 2023 – His Excellency V. Alfred Gray and Mrs. Gray hosted a dinner for Bahamas Prime Minister Philip E. Davis at the High Commissioner’s official residence in Ottawa on Tuesday, October 17, 2023.
Also present were Bahamas Foreign Affairs Minister Fred Mitchell and Ambassador designate to Brazil Johnson and Mrs. Johnson.
Prime Minister Davis, who had a private audience at The Vatican in Rome with His Holiness Pope Francis, and Foreign Affairs Minister Mitchell are in Ottawa for a CARICOM Summit that is being hosted by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and is being chaired by Dominica Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit, the current Chair of CARICOM.
It is expected to highlight the strong bonds between CARICOM and Canada while prioritising goals, including building inclusive and sustainable economies, increasing trade and investment, promoting multilateral collaboration, fighting climate change and exploring ways to improve access to financing for Small Island Developing States in the Caribbean.
In an article written by Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press today reported that Prime Minister Trudeau “is welcoming a dozen leaders from across the Caribbean to Ottawa Wednesday, as part of a two-day summit aimed at forming closer ties with Canada.”
“The Caribbean Community includes 15 countries and five overseas territories, spanning from Bahamas to Trinidad and Tobago, but not including Cuba,” the article noted. “The group, known as CARICOM, works on initiatives ranging from inclusive economic growth to climate change – but lately, it’s been focused on the situation in Haiti.”
The article added, “De facto Haitian prime minister Ariel Henry will make his first visit to Canada since August 2021, when he assumed the role without having been elected, following the assassination of the country’s president.
“Wednesday’s meetings are set to involve three working sessions, and Trudeau is expected to meet individually with many leaders between these forums. On Thursday, the leaders are expected to take part in a trade and investment roundtable, ahead of an afternoon press conference.
“Among those slated to attend the meetings are Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley, who co-chairs a United Nations advocacy group for the Sustainable Development Goals along with Trudeau. The prime ministers of the Bahamas, Belize, Dominica, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines as well as Trinidad and Tobago are set to visit Ottawa.
“Also expected are the presidents of Guyana and Suriname, the foreign affairs minister of Grenada and the high commissioner of Antigua and Barbuda.
“The Trudeau government has treated Haiti as one of its top foreign-policy priorities. This month, the UN Security Council approved a Kenya-led multinational military intervention to clear out gangs that have committed brazen violence and blocked access to essentials.”
