BY BGIS | FEB 16, 2023
Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley today led a delegation to meet with Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau while at the 44th Regular Meeting of the Caribbean Community’s Conference of Heads of Government being held in Nassau, Bahamas.
Prime Minister Trudeau, expressing pleasure at meeting with Prime Minister Mottley, noted that Canada and Barbados have a long and deep past of working together.
“We have been working together on some very, very big issues around the world – whether it’s on climate change, of course where your voice has been incredibly strong; whether it’s on the need to adjust the international financial architecture, so that middle income countries that are extremely vulnerable to climate change or to shocks are better supported in their ability to move forward,” he said.
Mr. Trudeau praised Ms. Mottley for her leadership in the Bridgetown Initiative, remarking that the work they had done in many areas was “truly exceptional”. The two leaders are co-chairs of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for the United Nations Secretary General.
Stressing that they were doing lots of work together, he added: “It’s always good to sit down and talk about some of the issues that bring us down to the Caribbean, whether it’s economic growth, whether it’s a challenge in Haiti, whether it’s climate change, always a lot to talk about.”
Prime Minister Mottley, stating that the two leaders should have met in the Caribbean since February 2020, but domestic and international realities had prevented this, said: “The fact that we endured and the fact that we are also here to remind the world that you cannot forget the basic realities of the SDGs, which is to ensure that people can sleep easier each and every night in every country of the world, that is what we are committed to. In spite of all that we do domestically and regionally, we have that obligation.”
She continued: “At the domestic level, Barbados continues to benefit from our relationship with Canada. We believe that it is a mutually rewarding relationship, but more importantly, size matters. And your country has been able to provide technical assistance, particularly in recent years, as we went through a difficult period economically.”
Ms. Mottley praised Mr. Trudeau for his commitment to the Caribbean Regional Technical Assistance Centre, and working with countries in the region. She noted that “the technical capacity needs are one of the things that the Caribbean has to bridge as a small states region”.
Prime Minister Mottley stated that there were vexatious issues that have to be dealt with, bilaterally and regionally, which would not be shied away from, and pointed out that the two countries were now experiencing a similar situation.
Elaborating, she said: “You have had to manage migration over the decades in order to sustain your viability. We face the reality that ECLAC has determined that by 2050, one in every two Barbadians could be over the age of 65, and therefore our continued work, that is a national security issue, and our continued work together to see how best we can transition our countries at this difficult moment is one that we value our relationship with you to be able to do so.”
Ms. Mottley also mentioned that the Bridgetown Initiative would feature prominently in their talks, but she has “every confidence” that Mr. Trudeau’s voice on these matters has been one that has caused him to fight for not just climate but for the SDGs.
