Leaders from St Kitts-Nevis and St Lucia meet with Canada PM

Last updated: September 29, 2017 at 13:59 pm

Two prime ministers from the Eastern Caribbean have met with their Canadian counterpart to discuss trade and investment partnerships.

Allen Chastanet, prime minister of St Lucia, and St Kitts-Nevis Prime Minister Timothy Harris, along with Governor of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank Timothy Antoine, met Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Ottawa.

Chastanet is also the current chairman of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean (OECS) Authority.

Earlier in the week, the delegation met with top Canadian financial instructions in Toronto.

They included the Royal Bank of Canada, Scotia Bank and CIBC, which all have significant ties to the West Indies.

Harris urged them to to continue to consider the longstanding benefits derived from the Caribbean region, and encouraged them to pursue communication and dialogue as they make far-reaching decisions.

During the meeting with Canada’s prime minister, the North American nation’s role in hurricane recovery efforts, as well as Canada`s hemispheric leadership on the critical issue of climate change, was discussed.

This issue is high on the agenda for Caribbean states following the devastation caused by two category five hurricanes this month.

The meeting comes after Canada`s Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland met with the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) foreign ministers on the margins of last week`s United Nations General Assembly.