Canada's newly accredited Ambassador to CARICOM, Serge Marcoux says his country hopes for a free trade pact with the region.
He said Ottawa's continued support for the region is based on three objectives - economic prosperity, regional and hemispheric harmonisation, and respect for cultural diversity.
Marcoux presented his letters of credence to CARICOM Secretary-General Dr Edwin Carrington on Monday. Marcoux is Canada's High Commissioner to Guyana and Canada's first Plenipotentiary Representative to CARICOM.
Marcoux noted that the Caribbean region is the highest per capita recipient of Canadian development assistance. He added that through the Caribbean Regional Programme, Canada's development assistance will reach every member of CARICOM including Haiti and Suriname, which are not part of the British Commonwealth.
The second objective, he said, would be to promote greater economic harmonisation in the region, first by supporting CARICOM's creation of the Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME) and secondly by helping to link the hemispheric and global economy through support for trade policy development and adjustment to trade liberalisation.
Marcoux said while countries are involved in the negotiations preparing them for the arrival of the 2005 Free Trade Area of the Americas, Canada hopes to achieve a CARICOM-Canada Free Trade Agreement. This would include different sectors which did not exist or were not deemed relevant when CARICOM and Canada signed the CARIBCAN trade agreement in 1986, an agreement then limited to the Commonwealth countries of the Caribbean area.
On the third principle, Marcoux said that in trying to shape a more prosperous future, a balance must be struck between economic harmonisation and cultural diversity. It was important, he said that Canada and CARICOM reinforce the legitimate role of governments to support, promote and safeguard the traditions, values and aspirations of their societies.
He said because of globalisation, economic development was a challenging process especially for small economies and CARICOM and Canada must combine efforts to promote a living environment in which all must be able to play a part in the development of their respective countries in considering the expansion of economic opportunities.
This means that great care should be exercised to avoid smaller economies becoming marginalised by larger ones, he said.
Receiving the Canadian diplomat, Dr Carrington said that Canada's direct support to the regional integration process and economic development has been significant and longstanding dating back to the seventeenth century in the trade of codfish.
Carrington gave a historical perspective of Canada's relations with the Caribbean, noting that since 1963 it is estimated that Canada has provided $2 billion in development assistance to the region. As a founder member, the country has contributed significantly to the Caribbean Development Bank which plays an important role in the region's development; and has invested in banking and mining and other commercial sectors.
Canada in the past donated two ships to the West Indies Federation, the forerunner to CARICOM; and had offered to assist the construction of the CARICOM Secretariat, he recalled.
Under the Canada Trade and Economic Agreement with CARICOM, support is provided for key regional programmes and projects. These include a five-year CARICOM regional institutional strengthening programme aimed at upgrading the efficiency of the CARICOM Secretariat's capacity and the Caribbean Epidemiological Centre screening project for HIV/AIDS.
Carrington noted that many Caribbean nationals have made Canada their home and remittances have contributed to improving the welfare of Caribbean citizens.
At the hemispheric level, he said both CARICOM and Canada agree on the need for good governance and human rights and more recently have taken a positive stance on Cuba and Haiti. Faced with many challenges as small and vulnerable member states, he said the Caribbean certainly appreciates Canada's support for preferential treatment of small economies.