Canada and the Caribbean have barely begun to realize what’s possible in their trading relationship, Prime Minister Mark Carney told a working breakfast of Commonwealth leaders Tuesday.
asserted
Carney → begin → leaders
“There’s more than a million people in Canada who trace their roots back to the region,” Carney told the assembled leaders before attending the opening of the Commonwealth heads of government meeting in St. John’s, Antigua and Barbuda.
asserted
Carney → ’ → John
It scratches the surface of what’s possible.
asserted
what → scratch → surface
Carney started the day by sitting down with Antigua and Barbuda’s Prime Minister Gaston Browne, who told Carney at the start of their meeting that Canada “as a middle power is very influential in the Commonwealth globally.”
asserted
Canada → start → Commonwealth
“And as we have discussions to make the Commonwealth more consequential, your contribution will be extremely valuable,” he added.
asserted
he → have → discussions
Carney saluted Browne’s leadership on the Commonwealth meeting, calling it “an extraordinarily important meeting at a crucial time.”
asserted
Carney → salute → time
Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand joined Carney at the working breakfast, where the prime minister gave each of the assembled Caribbean leaders a bottle of maple syrup with his own brand on it.
asserted
minister → join → it
Heads of state and foreign ministers from Antigua, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago were in attendance, along with the secretary-general of CARICOM, an intergovernmental organization representing Caribbean nations.
asserted
Heads → represent → nations
“We all know how much the world has changed.
asserted
world → know → ?
We’re all responding to it.
asserted
We → respond → it
We all know that the best response is to build out the close ties of friendship,” Carney said in his opening remarks at the breakfast.
asserted
Carney → know → breakfast
Carney is spending one day in Antigua, with a full itinerary that includes other bilateral meetings and executive sessions, as well as a lunch and dinner hosted by King Charles.
asserted
that → spend → Charles
Ahead of the breakfast meeting, Antigua’s high commissioner to Canada said he hopes that Canada’s relationship with the Caribbean, which used to be closer, can now be rebuilt.
asserted
which → say → Caribbean
Ronald Sanders told The Canadian Press “Canada needs to pay a little more attention to the Caribbean,” adding Carney is likely to find common ground with other leaders during his visit.
During his time in Antigua, Carney will also meet one-on-one with the leaders of Australia, Guyana and Ghana.
Much of the focus of the Commonwealth meeting will be on trade, though experts say it’s also an opportunity to boost diplomatic ties with a variety of countries.
asserted
it → tell → countries
The Commonwealth is a voluntary coalition of 56 countries, the large majority of which have ties to the former British Empire.
asserted
majority → have → Empire
The trip is the latest in a flurry of international trips Carney has been making since he became prime minister last year – part of an ongoing attempt to pivot Canada away from dependence on the United States.
asserted
he → make → States
The modern Commonwealth was established in 1949 and Commonwealth countries together represent 2.7 billion people.
asserted
countries → establish → people
Commonwealth members include large countries like the United Kingdom, Australia, India and Nigeria, and many of the world’s smallest countries – such as Tuvalu, a group of islands in the Pacific Ocean with a population of about 10,000.
asserted
members → include → 10,000
Experts say ties with Commonwealth countries can help Canada win support in multilateral forums like the United Nations, a strategy Canada has used in the past.
asserted
Canada → say → past
Ahead of the trip, government officials described the Commonwealth meeting as a platform for Canada to expand trade, investment and strategic co-operation, and noted Canada currently has $100-billion in trade with Commonwealth countries.
asserted
Canada → describe → countries
The Aporia
