By OSWALD T. BROWN
WASHINGTON, D.C., October 21, 2023 — His Excellency V. Alfred Gray, Bahamas High Commissioner to Ottawa, Canada, presented his Letter of Introduction to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday, October 16, 2023.
Following his appointment as High Commissioner to Ottawa, Mr. Gray was officially welcomed to Canada by Chief of Protocol Stewart Wheeler on Tuesday, November 29, 2022.
Prime Minister Trudeau hosted the Canada-CARICOM Summit from October 16 to 19, in which leaders from throughout the 15-member Caribbean Community (CARICOM) participated, and the occasion provided High Commissioner Gray with a perfect opportunity to present his Letter of Introduction to the Canadian Prime Minister.
High Commissioner Gray, who is a lawyer, was born in Hard Hill, Acklins, one of the southern islands of The Bahamas, on August 5, 1951. He began his formal education at Hard Hill Public School, continued at St. Anne’s High School in New Providence, and later obtained a Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree from the University of Pennsylvania.
After completing his bachelor’s degree, Mr. Gray earned a Teacher’s Certificate from the Bahamas Teachers’ College in 1972 and served as the Principal of the All-Aged School in Acklins until 1974. In that same year, he was appointed as a Family Island Commissioner/Administrator, serving several Family Islands throughout The Bahamas, including Abaco, Grand Bahama, Crooked Island, Acklins and Exuma.
With a thirst for knowledge and inspired by the work he was doing, Mr. Gray, decided to pursue further studies in Law in 1980. He was subsequently called to The Bahamas Bar in 1985.
Upon being called to the Bar, he launched his law firm, V. Alfred Gray & Co., where he currently practices as a Senior Partner with the firm.
A community-minded son of the soil, Mr. Gray has served the nation of The Bahamas in numerous capacities. He was first elected to the House of Assembly in 1987 as the representative of the Carmichael constituency, which he served until 1992.
In 2002, he was re-elected to the House of Assembly as the representative for MICAL –a grouping of southern islands that included Mayaguana, Inagua, Crooked Island, Acklins and Long Cay–which he represented until 2017.
In the total of 20 years that he was a Member of Parliament, Mr. Gray twice served as a Cabinet Minister during Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) administrations.
