Region prepares for round two of trade negotiations with Canada

Two-way merchandise trade between CARICOM and Canada averaged more than US$700 million over the last 10 years with a surplus averaging more than US$60 million in the region’s favour. (Photo: Fairtrade.org.uk)

GEORGETOWN, Guyana, November 18, 2009 – Director-General of the Office of Trade Negotiations (OTN) of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat, Ambassador Gail Mathurin, says the region is satisfied with the first round of the CARICOM/Canada Trade and Development Negotiations that came to an end last week.

She said the talks that it was conducted in an “extremely amiable atmosphere”.

“The chemistry was good between the two sides and this augurs well for the way forward. It was an opportunity for both sides to present and explain their mandates, positions and approaches to several issues,”  Ambassador Mathurin said, adding that those specific issues included matters related to market access for agricultural goods, services, culture and investment, institutional issues.

With regard to CARICOM’s interest in a strong development component within the agreement, the Ambassador said the region’s negotiators took full advantage of that element of its mandate, which they intended to advocate in two main ways.

In the first instance, she said, the tegion was seeking a “distinct, separate and discreet chapter” on development co-operation.

“In each subject area, we are putting forward specific development oriented proposals which the region hopes will become articles in the various facets of the agreement,” Ambassador Mathurin explained.

She added that CARICOM was strongly advocating that the agreement should make provisions for the varying levels of development among CARICOM countries as expressed in the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas in respect of special treatment of Less Developed Countries.

In this regard, the OTN Director noted that Canada recognised the need for asymmetry and signalled its willingness to work with the region in the development agreement in a way that was creative and flexible.

Ambassador Mathurin stated that the negotiations were poised to further strengthen long standing relations between the Community and Canada, which is the Region’s third largest trading partner.

Currently, trade and economic co-operation relations between CARICOM and Canada are covered under a number of instruments, including the 1979 CARICOM-Canada Trade and Economic Co-operation Agreement and its Protocols, including the 1998 Protocol on Rum; CARIBCAN which grants unilateral duty free access to eligible goods from beneficiary countries in the English-speaking Caribbean up to 2011.

Two-way merchandise trade between CARICOM and Canada averaged more than US$700 million over the last 10 years with a surplus averaging more than US$60 million in the region’s favour.