Carney calls for more trade with Caribbean nations at Commonwealth meeting

Prime Minister Mark Carney called for more trade with Caribbean nations on November 3, speaking at a working breakfast of Commonwealth leaders in St. John's, Antigua and Barbuda. The Globe and Mail reported his remarks.

Carney said trade between Canada and the Caribbean is worth $4 billion a year, and that this figure only scratches the surface of what is possible. He also said more than a million people in Canada trace their roots back to the Caribbean region.

The breakfast came ahead of the opening of the Commonwealth heads of government meeting. The Commonwealth is a group of countries with historic ties to Britain, and its leaders meet regularly to discuss shared concerns. Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand joined Carney at the breakfast.

Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne met Carney the same day. Browne told Carney that Canada, as a middle power, a mid-sized country with broad diplomatic reach, is very influential in the Commonwealth globally. Carney gave each Caribbean leader at the breakfast a bottle of maple syrup with his own brand on it.

Carney travelled to St. John's from November 2 to 4 to attend the meeting, according to a Prime Minister's Office news release. On the margins of the gathering, he met Guyana President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali, as a readout from the Prime Minister's Office noted.

The Prime Minister's Office also published a news release on November 3 titled "Prime Minister Carney deepens partnerships with Commonwealth nations." The release covers trade, investment and climate action.