Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday concluded the historic Canada-Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Summit in Ottawa, pledging to strengthen trade and investment with the region.
The Office of the Prime Minister issued a statement that the leaders “advanced shared priorities to fight climate change, grow strong
economies for the middle class and strengthen regional security.”
On Friday, during the second day of the Summit, Trudeau convened a trade and investment roundtable with CARICOM leaders and Canadian investors to deepen business ties and create new opportunities for workers.
The leaders discussed ways to diversify trade and expand investment in key sectors, like financial services, resilient infrastructure, clean tech, information and communications technologies, and natural resources management, the statement said.
It said they also discussed shared work to build sustainable economies that work for everyone, as Caribbean countries continue to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Canada is also helping businesses take advantage of its preferential tariff programs by simplifying rules of origin and shipping documentation requirements.
For businesses in Canada and Caribbean workers, the prime minister reiterated the Government of Canada’s commitment to implement a new foreign labor program for agriculture and fish processing under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program.
Leaders also discussed their shared commitment to democracy, the rule of law, respect for human rights and the rules-based international order, the statement said.
On Thursday, the first day of the Canada-CARICOM Summit, Trudeau announced new funding initiatives to help address shared priorities on climate change and economic growth, respond to gender-based violence, and “build a more secure, stable, and prosperous hemisphere”, including in response to the ongoing crises in Haiti.
Through the Summit, the statement said Trudeau “engaged directly” with the Prime Minister of Dominica, Roosevelt Skerrit, current Chair of CARICOM; Prime Minister of Barbados Mia Mottley; President of Guyana Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali; Prime Minister of Haiti Ariel Henry; and Prime Minister of Jamaica Andrew Holness.
The Canadian Government said that, in 2022, Canada’s two-way merchandise trade with CARICOM countries reached CAN$1.8 billion. In 2021, bilateral trade in services reached CAN$3.9 billion.