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<html> <head> <meta name="generator" content="Corel WordPerfect 10"> <meta http-equiv="content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"> <style> p { margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1px } body { font-family: "Arial", sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal } </style> </head> <body> October 16, 2006 OTTAWA, Ontario 2006/18 CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY NOTES FOR AN ADDRESS BY THE HONOURABLE PETER MACKAY, MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND MINISTER OF THE ATLANTIC CANADA OPPORTUNITIES AGENCY, ON THE OCCASION OF A BREAKFAST MEETING WITH CARICOM FOREIGN HEADS OF MISSION I want you to know that I am delighted you can all be here this morning. Our meeting will help Canada and CARICOM [Caribbean Community] to reconnect, to begin anew. In Santo Domingo, I readily agreed with your Foreign Ministers that we need to reconnect. There is a long history behind Canada's abiding interest in our special relationship. Commercial ties with Atlantic Canada, my home, date from the 19th century, when there were diplomatic or consular offices representing the Caribbean in several of my region's cities. Although, on the Canadian side, much remains to be done to make our renewed engagement a reality, we have begun to make progress. Let me tell you about some developments on Canada's part before inviting your comments and questions. Consistent with our policy of principled internationalism, Canada's New Government intends to demonstrate international leadership on a number of important issues, such as nuclear proliferation, security and trade. You will be pleased to hear that a main focus of Canada's international engagement is our relationship with the Americas. My Department, together with partner departments that are active in the region, is developing a Strategy for the Americas that recognizes the importance of a strong relationship with the Caribbean countries. One way in which we are making a stronger commitment to the Caribbean is through our support for a safe, secure and successful hosting of the Cricket World Cup. Before saying more about what Canada is doing, I want to congratulate the CARICOM member countries for taking on the responsibility of hosting this major event of global proportions. The role of sport in international affairs should not be underestimated. I have been impressed, for example, by how the organization “Right to Play” uses sport and play as a tool for the development of children and youth in the most disadvantaged countries. The 2007 Cricket World Cup is an opportunity for Canada to work with you to further develop long-term, sustainable solutions to the crime, security, and border and crisis management challenges facing Caribbean states. Examples include the trainers that Canada is providing for an Integrated Border Enforcement Team Intelligence and Investigations Training Program, which will reach over 150 Caribbean participants. And we have provided a Canadian expert to assist the CARICOM Task Force for Crime and Security. Before leaving the subject of the World Cup, I want to mention that attendance by many ministers and leaders from around the world, especially from Commonwealth countries, may provide welcome opportunities for meetings in the Caribbean. Our security assistance in the Caribbean is not limited to the Cricket World Cup. We continue to contribute to the professionalization of armed forces in the Caribbean region on a bilateral basis, through the Military Training Assistance Program. As you may have heard, Canada has been chosen as the host for the next Meeting of Ministers of Defence of the Americas, in 2008, underlying our engagement in the area. Canada also welcomes and appreciates the cooperation and collaboration of Caribbean countries in the inter-American institutions as well as in multilateral forums such as the United Nations. The inter-American institutions, such as the OAS [Organization of American States] and its specialized agencies, are our main vehicles for addressing critical challenges in the region: promoting democratic governance and ensuring prosperity and security. One of the things the OAS does particularly well is the counselling, observation and assessment of the electoral process. Canada was delighted to contribute to the recent OAS electoral observation mission in Guyana. I congratulate the government and people of Guyana for conducting a fair, peaceful election, and I encourage the new government to move ahead on a package of governance and security reforms. In Haiti, Canada joined other donor countries, and supported the OAS Special Mission, in an effort to bring about improved security, the timely conclusion of the electoral process, political reconciliation, and the effective reform and strengthening of state institutions – all of which are essential to achieve sustainable improvement in the living conditions of the Haitian people. I want you to know that Canada particularly appreciated the opportunity to work with CARICOM in the international effort to ensure fair and transparent elections in Haiti. Canada is also grateful for the commitments made by Caribbean heads of government to facilitate Haiti’s reintegration in CARICOM. In fact, for me, this was one of the region’s most gratifying developments during the past year. I was also very pleased to see Haiti become a full-fledged member of the Caribbean Development Bank. Canada has been very active in seeking membership for Haiti in this institution. Preparing for natural disasters and mitigating their effects is another area where it is important for national governments to work in consultation with regional and international institutions, as agreed in the 2005 Hyogo Framework for Action. We encourage the efforts of the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Response Agency to strengthen regional response capacity and improve coordination with the UN system and other international relief actors. As you may know, Canada has been a constant supporter of the OAS Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission. We have increased our support of the Commission this year to $1.2 million. Narcotrafficking and drug-related crime remain among the most important security threats in the region. We are concerned, as a consuming nation, in reducing this illegal flow, and, just as importantly, in mitigating the damage that it inflicts in transhipment countries, through increasing criminality, destabilizing governance and weakening financial systems through money laundering. I would like to mention the Summit of the Americas. This is a forum through which we all have an opportunity to advance a shared agenda. I am pleased that Trinidad and Tobago is now chairing the Summit process and will host the Summit in 2009. In June, I told then Foreign Minister Gift that we would be pleased to share our experience in this regard, and we look forward to working with Trinidad and Tobago to help ensure the success of the 2009 Summit. I expect you are all familiar with CIDA’s regional programs with CARICOM and the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States [OECS], and bilateral programs in Guyana and Jamaica. While Canada’s New Government has yet to take decisions concerning any adjustments to CIDA’s funding and priorities, we anticipate that its CARICOM/OECS regional program will become more focused on regional institutions. Programming sectors under consideration are governance, education—especially youth development—and private sector development. Let me turn to some upcoming events before opening the floor for comments. I would like to mention that the Global Microcredit Summit will be held in Halifax next month. I strongly support this event, organized by the Global Microcredit Summit Campaign. In recognition of the importance of microcredit in pursuing sustainable development, I wish to encourage you to encourage your prime ministers to accept this invitation. Speaking of Halifax, I want to let you know that my home city will be submitting a bid to host the 2014 Commonwealth Games, and we would very much appreciate your support. Canada has also offered to host the 38th annual meeting of the Board of Governors of the Caribbean Development Bank, in 2008. The Bank is a major force for economic development and regional integration, targeting systematic reduction of poverty in the Caribbean. I would also like to say a word about CARIBCAN. On November 7, the WTO Council for Trade in Goods will consider Canada’s request to extend the CARIBCAN waiver. This would allow us to maintain the preferential market access benefits enjoyed by most CARICOM members for an additional five years. We are optimistic that the process will be concluded successfully by the end of this year. I know that all of you maintain a keen interest in seeing Canada negotiate a CARICOM Free Trade Agreement. While this is an area where my colleague [International Trade] Minister Emerson is very active, I can say that, as Prime Minister Harper noted in his letter to Prime Minister Simpson-Miller of Jamaica in August, we support the goal of free trade between Canada and CARICOM. Our exploratory discussions to advance such an initiative have been very productive. The Government of Canada is conducting a thorough review of its trade and investment liberalization agenda and our intent, in the near term, is to pursue an aggressive bilateral trade negotiations agenda. CARICOM remains a prospective free trade partner of considerable interest to Canada. We hope to soon be in a position to indicate how we will be able to proceed. Finally, I would like to take a moment to recognize and offer my congratulations to a former colleague of yours who has now become a colleague of mine, Trinidad and Tobago’s Foreign Minister, Arnold Piggott. Thank you. </body> </html>

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Last Updated: 2006-10-30	Top of Page	Important Notices