NEWS
Dr. David Farrar President and Vice-Chancellor McMaster University, Canada
Dr. Lynn Wells President and Vice-Chancellor Brock University, Canada
The Honourable Kerrie Symmonds Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Barbados
Principal of Cave Hill Campus Professor Clive Landis noted that Canada has partnered with the Caribbean in its development, a relationship that has extended to The UWI and became visibly evident in the makeup of its international students. Currently, Canadians comprise the largest cohort of international students at Cave Hill, while the majority of students from the Barbados-based campus who go on exchange programmes abroad travel to higher education institutions in Canada. Landis was hopeful the Canada- Caribbean Institute will continue to “provide a vehicle to strengthen this bilateral exchange and broaden it to staff and more specific collaborative research agreements to deepen the overwhelmingly positive and multifaceted relationships that exist between Canada and the Caribbean.” The symposium was also addressed by the
addressed. President and Vice-Chancellor of Brock University, Dr. Lynn Wells said she became aware of the issues around colonialism and its intergenerational effects during the years she spent working with indigenous people in Canada. All agreed that the institute presents opportunities for Caribbean and Canadian scholars to collaborate in areas of interest across disciplines. “It’s playing a valuable role in generating the knowledge and analysis needed to inform some of the most pressing issues that both regions are challenged with today, from social and economic development to trade and addressing the very urgent issue of climate change,” Dr. Farrar said. Meantime, Pro Vice-Chancellor and
climate change, climate financing, renewable energy, the need for a deeper pool of financial resources in the Caribbean Development Fund (a monetary facility established by the Caribbean Community to help disadvantaged countries, regions and sectors), and trade relations between Canada and the Caribbean. He said while Canada has been an indispensable partner in Barbados’s developmental journey, particularly in the areas of international business, investments, and migration, the relationship between the two countries has not been without challenges. The minister said Barbados’s trading relationship with the country, much like with the United States, was a source of concern, as it had stalled and was not based on “ genuine economic development thrusts but on a paternalistic approach, which is incompatible with World Trade Organization rules.” The Canada-Caribbean Institute was founded in February 2020 by The UWI and Brock University to collaborate on pertinent economic, environmental, and social issues. McMaster University recently took over from Brock University as the lead Canadian partner in the institute. u
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Kerrie Symmonds . His wide- ranging keynote address touched on the need for global strategic leadership, offshore oil exploration,
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