The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, said today that he will go to Nassau, The Bahamas, on February 15 and 16 as a special guest to the 44th Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). At CARICOM, which is a meeting of the heads of government from 20 Caribbean countries, the Prime Minister will push for progress on shared priorities, such as continuing to help the people of Haiti.
The trip will give the leaders a chance to talk about more political, security, and humanitarian aid for the Haitian people, as well as Haitian-led solutions to the current situation in Haiti, which is having a terrible effect on the Haitian people. As a reliable partner, Canada has taken action in response to the terrible situation. It has helped the Haitian National Police, sent a long-range patrol aircraft to stop gangs from doing their work, coordinated the delivery of important security equipment bought by the Haitian government, helped with humanitarian aid, and put strong sanctions on those who are to blame. We will always be there for the people of Haiti as they try to make their lives better.
As CARICOM celebrates its 50th anniversary, the Prime Minister will meet with CARICOM leaders in small groups and one-on-one meetings. He will work to improve Canada’s relationship with Caribbean countries by promoting democracy, human rights, economic growth that helps everyone, and the development of clean energy, among other things. The Prime Minister will also work with CARICOM leaders to increase trade and investment between Canada and the Caribbean to create jobs and growth. He will also advocate for climate action and resilience for the region, which is especially vulnerable to climate change and natural disasters.
As a steady partner, Canada keeps working with CARICOM to make the world safer, more stable, and more prosperous.
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“People in Canada and the Caribbean Community are very close to each other and have many of the same values. They are also very committed to fighting climate change. I’m looking forward to meeting with the leaders of CARICOM to talk about how we can continue to work together to help the people of Haiti, strengthen the Caribbean region, and build a better future for people and businesses in Canada, the Caribbean, and all over the world.”
— Justin Trudeau is the Prime Minister of Canada.
Fast Facts
Every year, more than two million Canadians travel to countries in the CARICOM.
Canada has been working with many CARICOM countries for a long time on things like trade, security and defense, and government.
The 15 Full Members and the 5 Associate Members make up CARICOM. Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, Saint Lucia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago are all Full Members. Associate Members are the overseas areas of Anguilla, Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, and Turks and Caicos.
The Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community gets together twice a year, in the summer and winter, for Regular and Inter-Sessional meetings.
Canada’s two-way trade with CARICOM countries in goods reached $1.9 billion in 2021. In 2021, service trade between the two countries reached $3.9 billion.
