PARLIAMENTARY Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Canada, Maninder Sidhu, will be in Guyana from July 5 to 7, 2023.

During his visit, Parliamentary Secretary Sidhu will meet with Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Hugh Todd to strengthen the two countries’ collaboration on shared priorities, including energy transition and food security.

The Parliamentary Secretary will also get a better understanding of Guyana’s economic situation and its opportunities for Canadian companies by meeting key political and commercial stakeholders.

In addition, he will have the chance to visit local projects that support migrants and early childhood development in Indigenous communities and that are funded by the Caribbean Regional Development Programme and the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives.

Meanwhile, from July 2, the Parliamentary Secretary during his visit to Trinidad and Tobago represented Canada at the opening ceremony of the 45th Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).

While there, he also met with Trinidad and Tobago’s Amery Browne, Minister of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs, and Fitzgerald Hinds, Minister of National Security, to discuss shared political and economic priorities, including furthering trade and investment, and regional security.

In addition, Parliamentary Secretary Sidhu attended a round-table networking event to learn about the opportunities and challenges for Canadian business in Trinidad and Tobago.

“Canada and CARICOM are tightly connected through our deep people-to-people ties, shared economic interests and our commitment to common values, such as democracy, human rights, freedom of expression and the rules-based international order. I am delighted to represent Canada at the CARICOM heads of government meeting in Trinidad and Tobago in celebration of CARICOM’s 50th anniversary. I also look forward to strengthening our bilateral relationship with Guyana, as we are committed to collaborating on shared priorities, such as inclusive economic growth, food security and natural resource management,” Maninder Sidhu, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs stated.

Canada and Guyana enjoy a close relationship built on over 50 years of deep people-to-people ties, important trading connections, long-standing collaboration aimed at advancing inclusive economic development and our security partnership.

Guyana is one of Canada’s largest merchandise trading partners in CARICOM. In 2022, the value of bilateral merchandise trade totalled $294.1 million, with imports valued at $241.4 million and exports valued at $52.7 million.

Canada has long-standing ties with CARICOM and its members on a wide range of issues, including trade, security and defence, and governance.