She's making TT look good, been long since the PM has been in Canada. The last official visit to Canada by the prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago to Canada was in 1966.
http://www.trinidadexpress.com/news/Kamla-Canada-PM--plan-major-talks-in-TT-204785801.htmlKamla, Canada PM plan major talks in T&TA Caricom Public-Private Partnership Seminar will be held in Port of Spain later this year which will be co-hosted by Trinidad and Tobago and Canada.
This was one of the highlights coming out of discussions between Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar and Canada Prime Minister Stephen Harper yesterday.
Persad-Bissessar is on an official four-day visit to Canada and will return home tomorrow.
A release from the Office of the Prime Minister said the joint seminar will bring together representatives from government, the private sector, international financial institutions and multilateral development banks from Canada, Trinidad and Tobago, the broader Caricom and international community to share best practices in this field and how they can be applied further in their jurisdictions.
The business seminar will come after Trinidad and Tobago takes up the Caricom chair in July 2013.
The status of trade talks between Canada and Caricom and the common vision for a more integrated Caribbean region was the focus of discussions.
Both Persad-Bissessar and Harper, according to the release, affirmed the importance of bilateral trade and investment, the centrality of free markets to mutual prosperity, and a keen desire to strengthen collaboration in the financial, oil and gas, and energy sectors.
It noted that Canadian investment in Trinidad and Tobago has grown substantially, now exceeding $1.3 billion (CAD).
Annual two-way merchandise trade grew by 45 per cent between 2005 and 2012, and is now approaching $600 million.
Discussions also focused on education and both leaders witnessed the signing of an agreement between Brock University and the University of Trinidad and Tobago to expand co-operation between students and professors. Some 300 students from Trinidad and Tobago study in Canada each year.
The Prime Ministers’ discussions further centred on security and welcomed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Trinidad and Tobago’s Ministry of National Security and Canadian Commercial Corporation concerning the development and implementation of projects in the field of defence, security, and related infrastructure.
The MoU, stated the release, will facilitate closer ties between the two countries, including through the provision by Canadian companies of technology and services to enhance the capacity of defence and security institutions in Trinidad and Tobago.
The release stated that this country has been part of Canada’s Military Training and Co-operation Programme (MTCP) since 1970.
In support of their shared desire to expand defence relations, the Prime Ministers welcomed the signature of a memorandum of understanding between the two nations to help Trinidad and Tobago take on a greater role to provide regional military capacity-building training. The leaders were also pleased to announce the appointment of the first Canadian defence attaché accredited to Trinidad and Tobago.
Both leaders expressed satisfaction with the launch of negotiations between the Air Guard of Trinidad and Tobago with Provincial Aerospace Ltd of Canada with respect to two long-range multi-mission aircraft.
The Prime Ministers also noted that Canada’s Anti-Crime Capacity Building Programme is supporting Trinidad and Tobago in modernising criminal investigations.
Harper and Persad-Bissessar were also pleased to collaborate to improve the Caribbean region’s preparedness and ability to respond effectively to natural disasters by way of Trinidad and Tobago’s participation in the Caribbean Disaster Management Harmonised Implementation Programme, which is led by the Caribbean Disaster and Emergency Management Agency and supported by Canada.
According to the release, Canada and Trinidad and Tobago, hemispheric and Commonwealth partners, share common values, multicultural societies, similar systems of government and a commitment to democracy, freedom, the rule of law and human rights.
These ties are strengthened by the contributions of almost 65,000 Canadian citizens and permanent residents with roots in Trinidad and Tobago, and 6,000 Canadians resident in Trinidad and Tobago
