OTTAWA, Canada, CMC – Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will be heading to Nassau, Bahamas, this week, to participate as a special guest at this week’s Inter-sessional Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (Caricom).

At Caricom, which brings together the leaders of the 15 member states, Trudeau said he will “drive progress on shared priorities, including continued support for the Haitian people.”

“The visit will provide an opportunity for the leaders to consider further regional political security, and humanitarian assistance in support of the Haitian people and Haitian-led solutions to the ongoing situation in Haiti, which is having a devastating impact on the Haitian people,” the Canadian prime minister said.

“As a steadfast partner, Canada has taken action in response to the egregious situation, including by providing support to the Haitian National Police, deploying a long-range patrol aircraft to disrupt the activities of gangs, coordinating the delivery of vital security equipment purchased by the Haitian government, providing humanitarian support, and implementing robust sanctions on those responsible,” he added. “We will continue to stand with the Haitian people as they strive for a brighter future.”

As Caricom celebrates its 50th anniversary, Trudeau said he will participate in group discussions and bilateral meetings with Caricom leaders.

He said he will work to strengthen Canada’s partnership with countries in the Caribbean region, including by advancing democracy, human rights, “economic growth that benefits everyone”, and developing clean energy.

The Canadian prime minister said he will also work with Caricom leaders to increase trade and investment between Canada and the Caribbean to create jobs and growth, and advocate for climate action and resilience for the region, “which is particularly vulnerable to climate change and natural disasters”.

As a steadfast partner, Trudeau said Canada continues to work with Caricom to build “a more secure, stable and prosperous world”.

“Canada and the Caribbean Community share strong ties between our peoples, common values, and a strong commitment to fighting climate change,” he said. “I look forward to meeting with the leaders of Caricom to discuss how we can continue to work together to support the people of Haiti, strengthen the Caribbean region, and build a better future for people and businesses in Canada, the Caribbean, and around the world.”

Trudeau said Canada has long-standing ties with many Caricom countries on a wide range of issues, including trade, security and defence, and governance.

The Canadian Government said that Trudeau spoke with his Bahamian counterpart Philip Davis on Friday.

“The prime ministers discussed their commitment to strengthen the partnership between Canada and Caricom members. They (also) reiterated the need for close collaboration on supporting a Haitian-led solution to the instability in Haiti.

“Prime Minister Trudeau thanked Prime Minister Davis for inviting him to participate as a special guest in the 44th Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of Caricom and conveyed that he looked forward to meeting Caribbean leaders in Nassau next week,” it added. “The two leaders committed to continuing discussions at the Caricom meeting next week”.

Caricom comprises 15 full members and five associate members. The full members are Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, St Lucia, St Kitt Nevis, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago.

The British Overseas Territories of Anguilla, Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, and Turks and Caicos Islands are associate members.

The Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community meets twice a year at Regular and Inter-Sessional meetings, in summer and winter, respectively.