Prime Minister met with Caribbean country leaders and concludes the Canada-CARICOM Summit

OTTAWA — During the second day of the Canada-Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Summit in Ottawa, the Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau convened a trade and investment roundtable with CARICOM leaders and Canadian investors to deepen business ties. Trudeau and Caribbean leaders advanced shared priorities to fight climate change, grow strong economies for the middle class, and strengthen regional security.

The leaders discussed ways to diversify trade and expand investment in sectors like financial services, resilient infrastructure, clean tech, information and communications technologies, and natural resources management. They also discussed shared work to build sustainable economies that work for everyone, as Caribbean countries continue to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Prime Minister announced that Canada is expanding the Commonwealth Caribbean Countries Tariff program (CCCT), which gives countries in the region duty-free trade access to the Canadian market for the vast majority of goods, to include textiles and apparel. Canada is also helping businesses take advantage of our preferential tariff programs by simplifying rules of origin and shipping documentation requirements.

For businesses in Canada and Caribbean workers, the Prime Minister reiterated the Government of Canada’s commitment to implement a new foreign labour program for agriculture and fish processing under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program.

“In an uncertain world, it is by working together as friends and partners that we will build economies that work for the middle class, keep our air and water clean, and keep people safe,” said Trudeau. “Over the last two days, as Canada has hosted Caribbean leaders for this Summit, we have done just that. I’m looking forward to everything we can do next to grow and deepen our longstanding partnership.”