Canada-Caribbean relations
Encyclopedia
Canada—Caribbean relations are the long established relationships between Canada
and the many states of the Caribbean
or West Indies. These ties have been on-going throughout the history of both regions. Initially these relations were based on the policies of European colonial powers in the Americas
. More recently, both Canada and most of the Caribbean islands have achieved self-government, putting their relations into a different phase. CARICOM diplomats have referred to Canada as a '"special friend" of the Caribbean at the regional and bilateral levels.'
and the French colonies in the Caribbean
enjoyed a flourishing trade in the first part of the eighteenth century, with the fortress of Louisburg
acting as an important trading centre linking New France, the Caribbean and France
. When Britain gained control over the northern half of the continent
, these relations were largely severed as trade between North America and the British Caribbean holdings went almost exclusively through U.S. ports, especially Boston
.
With the American Revolution
, the Americans were, in theory, to be shut out of the British colonies by the Navigation Acts
and other British laws. Canadian merchants, especially those based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, strove to become the new leading trading
partners. The trade with the Caribbean did become an important one for Halifax, but the British laws could do little to prevent American traders from continuing to play a central role. The merchants of the West Indies preferred dealing with the United States
, which produced a greater variety of goods at lower prices than the Canadians. The weak Spanish Empire
could do even less than the British to keep out foreign traders, and Canadian trade with Cuba and other Spanish holdings also rose in prominence. This trade peaked in the years immediately before Canadian Confederation
. Canada shipped flour
, corn
, timber
, and fish
to the Caribbean, while sugar
and rum
moved north. In the Maritimes a prosperous sugar refining and rum industry arose based on these imports.
Also of historical importance was the military
relationship between British colonies in the Caribbean and Canada. Halifax was the major North American British naval base, and British warships frequently travelled between it and the Caribbean. In both the First and Second World Wars Canadian troops were moved to the Caribbean to replace British forces that were needed in other theatres. Canadian troops in particular were stationed in Saint Lucia
to protect against attacks by the German military during the first World War.
While the relationship with the United States and with Britain continued to be the most important ones to the British colonies of the West Indies, there were also growing concerns about American domination and Canada was seen as an important counterbalance. The United States imposed high import duties, and greatly favoured its domestic sugar industry over that of its southern neighbours.
. Some of these proposals were never seriously considered in Canada, and few in the West Indies actually felt they were valid solutions.
in 1882, one of the proposed solutions was joining Canada. Michael Solomon led the pro-Confederation faction, but when he introduced a motion to that effect in the Legislative Council everyone but he voted against it.
were transferred under the protection of Australia
and New Zealand
, and the British government of Lloyd George strongly considered transferring the responsibility for all British colonies in the Caribbean, as well as Newfoundland and the Falkland Islands
, to the Canadian government, but most Canadians were not interested due to strong sentiments that Canada should retain the policy of not becoming a colonising force in the world.
This had some light support among Canada's business community, some of whom had just established businesses expanding into the West Indies region. Among them was Canadian businessman T.B. Macaulay, the son of the founder of Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada. Thomas Bassett Macaulay became very fond of working with the governments in the West Indies. He went on to become President of the group known as which he co-found and was in existence until 1934. Additionally in the West Indies he acted as a representative for the Leeward Islands
at the Canada-West Indies Trade Conference.
Canadian businessman Harry Crowe impressed upon Canadian Prime Minister Robert Borden
to direct Sir Joseph Pope
to issue a report titled Confidential Memorandum Upon the Subject of the Annexation of the West India Islands to the Dominion of Canada in which five major advantages were outlined for Canada to contemplate union with the West Indies territories.
presented a similar initiative in 1911. T.B. Macaulay encouraged members of the Legislative Council in the Bahamas to likewise consider pursuing political union with Canada, this political union proposal was ultimately rejected on the Canadian side.
During 1950s several politicians involved in the West Indies Federation
again broached an idea of political association with Canada. One proposal from the Caribbean heads was for the West Indies Federation to first become a fully functional unit and following five years time the bloc should look at obtaining dominion status with Britain and possibly move to seek political association with Canada at that time. The Canadian government presented the new government of the West Indies Federation with two merchant ships. The twin ships named The Federal Palm and The Federal Maple sailed to all ports between Jamaica in the north and Trinidad and Tobago in the south and were a key aspect of building trade links between the islands. Several meetings continued to take place in the Caribbean region and in Ottawa
to formulate the structure and exact form of the future political association with Canada, but a constant occurrence in the Federation of haggling between the heads of governments stymied the movement. After 4 years, the entire West Indies Federation unraveled, with the head of Jamaica publicly claiming that "one from ten leaves nought", with Jamaica representing the number "1" in the number ten, thus leaving a zero (representing the remaining islands). Trinidad and Tobago's leader quickly followed Jamaica's exit by saying if Jamaica represented the 1, then they were the 0 itself leaving "none", ending the Federation experiment. The remaining islands tried a group of the "Little 8" said it wanted to go its own direction and Barbados
next withdrew from any idea of a smaller group. The remaining islands came up with the West Indies Associated States
, but ultimately, they too reverted to their sovereign paths. The 1960s overall marked a decade of political independence by a large number of Caribbean nations from Britain.
joining Canada. It received some political dialogue in the governments of both nations however Canada became hesitant when it was revealed that the Turks and Caicos were due to hold a General Election. A finding by a Canadian commission recommended that the government of Canada should disengage so as to not influence the free outcome of the Turks and Caicos elections. The commission maintained that if any locale wanted to open dialogue on political association with Canada it had to be totally of the resident populations own free will. The study however recommended that Canadians should consider increasing aid into the islands to support the Turks and Caicos inhabitants and to help increase their standard of living in the islands in the meanwhile.
This died down around 1987 but it was again revived on the Canadian side in 2003 when a television programme aired about Canada's past flirtation of political union proposals. In 2004 Peter Goldring
, MP for Edmonton Centre-East proposed holding exploratory dialogues in the Caribbean islands to find out if there is still any interest for Canada to accord a political union. He lobbied in the Canadian House of Commons that should any nation in the Caribbean wish to proceed that this state should be elevated to the level of a Province rather than territory and in so doing the locale would become Canada's 11th Province.
In a 2009 e-mail correspondence with Mr. Goldring, he noted that "I... do not advocate the "annexation" of The Turks and Caicos Islands, as this term is one that is associated with colonialism", nor did he advocate a union with the islands unless there was "a clear and determined great majority of overwhelming will by both countries' citizens for such an association" and instead advocated an economic union, whether that is through a free-trade agreement or a customs union.
was largely dismantled and the Canadian traders lost their advantage in the Caribbean. The United States' economic and political power grew in the region, as they also removed many of the tariff barriers with the region. At the end of the century the United States gained political control over a number of Caribbean areas, such as the Danish Virgin Islands, Cuba
, and Puerto Rico
and American business relations had a near monopoly on trade in those areas. Trade patterns also shifted, as the market for West Indian sugar disappeared. By the Second World War bauxite
had replace sugar as the main export to Canada, and Jamaica and Guyana became the most important trading partners, while imports from the smaller islands declined considerably.
While trade between the regions declined, Canadian investment increased. As British companies pulled out of the region after decolonization, Canadian companies moved in. This was especially true in the banking and insurance sectors. Caribbean governments welcomed Canadian investment as a tool to prevent the total economic domination of the United States. This is perhaps most obvious in Cuba
which pursued close economic ties with Canada after the Cuban Revolution
.
Canada was a founding member of the Caribbean Development Bank
(CDB) in January 1970, and contributed $181.5 million during the first six cycles of the CDB's Special Development Fund. These contributions provided support for sustainable socio-economic development with an emphasis on reducing poverty and, more recently, strengthening democracies and regional economies.
Several agencies of the Canadian government have played a wide ranging role of offering cooperation in many of the region's countries over the decades. Some of these agencies include the Canadian International Development Agency
, the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency
, the Canadian Trade Commissioner, the Transport Canada
, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission and other agencies.
Canada has taken a lead role more recently in helping Haiti to return to a state of normalcy following the February, 2004 uprising. The Government of Canada has provided much of this assistance though the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti MINUSTAH in addition to direct cooperation.
s.
More recently the Vancouver Airport Services
also manages many airports in and around the Caribbean region.
have an especially large role in the Caribbean commercial banking industry. Canadian banks own the three largest banks in the English-speaking Caribbean.
Additionally several Canadian energy companies have significant stakes in Caribbean-based providers of electricity.
} (Barbados Light and Power Company
-- BL&P)
} (St. Lucia Electricity Services Limited—LUCELEC)
} (Belize Electricity Limited
-- BEL)
} (Caribbean Utilities Limited
-- CUC)
} (Fortis Turks and Caicos)
In 2006 several Canadian politicians moved to form the Canada-Caribbean Parliamentary Friendship Group.
In 2007, as part of a larger trip to Latin America and the Caribbean, Prime Minister Stephen Harper
visited Barbados and Haiti. Observers said this was intended to increase Canada's visibility in the region and to remind Canadians of the region's importance.
The Canadian government announced in February 2009 that it was adding the Caribbean to its list of preferred recipients for foreign aid. This list includes 18 countries and the West Bank
, as well as the Caribbean.
In 2010, Canada was specifically excluded (along with the United States) from a new regional body, Community of Latin American and Caribbean States
that includes all of the other sovereign states of the Americas.
(2.5% of Canadian population) nearly 40% have Jamaican heritage
, and an additional 32% have heritage elsewhere in the Caribbean or Bermuda. In addition many Canadians of South Asian descent
have immediate origins in the Caribbean.
The Canadian Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program (SAWP) consists of an annual recruitment of roughly 15,000 persons from the Caribbean and Mexico for temporary employment in Canada.
At the same time many Canadian snowbird
s move to the Caribbean seasonally or for retirement.
Political union
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and the many states of the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
or West Indies. These ties have been on-going throughout the history of both regions. Initially these relations were based on the policies of European colonial powers in the Americas
European colonization of the Americas
The start of the European colonization of the Americas is typically dated to 1492. The first Europeans to reach the Americas were the Vikings during the 11th century, who established several colonies in Greenland and one short-lived settlement in present day Newfoundland...
. More recently, both Canada and most of the Caribbean islands have achieved self-government, putting their relations into a different phase. CARICOM diplomats have referred to Canada as a '"special friend" of the Caribbean at the regional and bilateral levels.'
History
New FranceNew France
New France was the area colonized by France in North America during a period beginning with the exploration of the Saint Lawrence River by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Spain and Great Britain in 1763...
and the French colonies in the Caribbean
French Caribbean
The term French Caribbean varies in meaning with its usage and frame of reference. This ambiguity makes it very different from the term French West Indies, which refers to the specific, formal French possessions in the Caribbean region...
enjoyed a flourishing trade in the first part of the eighteenth century, with the fortress of Louisburg
Louisburg
Louisburg is the name of some places in the United States of America and Canada:*Louisbourg, Nova Scotia, Canada *Louisburg, Kansas, United States of America*Louisburg, Minnesota, United States of America...
acting as an important trading centre linking New France, the Caribbean and France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. When Britain gained control over the northern half of the continent
British North America
British North America is a historical term. It consisted of the colonies and territories of the British Empire in continental North America after the end of the American Revolutionary War and the recognition of American independence in 1783.At the start of the Revolutionary War in 1775 the British...
, these relations were largely severed as trade between North America and the British Caribbean holdings went almost exclusively through U.S. ports, especially Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
.
With the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
, the Americans were, in theory, to be shut out of the British colonies by the Navigation Acts
Navigation Acts
The English Navigation Acts were a series of laws that restricted the use of foreign shipping for trade between England and its colonies, a process which had started in 1651. Their goal was to force colonial development into lines favorable to England, and stop direct colonial trade with the...
and other British laws. Canadian merchants, especially those based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, strove to become the new leading trading
Trade
Trade is the transfer of ownership of goods and services from one person or entity to another. Trade is sometimes loosely called commerce or financial transaction or barter. A network that allows trade is called a market. The original form of trade was barter, the direct exchange of goods and...
partners. The trade with the Caribbean did become an important one for Halifax, but the British laws could do little to prevent American traders from continuing to play a central role. The merchants of the West Indies preferred dealing with the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, which produced a greater variety of goods at lower prices than the Canadians. The weak Spanish Empire
Spanish Empire
The Spanish Empire comprised territories and colonies administered directly by Spain in Europe, in America, Africa, Asia and Oceania. It originated during the Age of Exploration and was therefore one of the first global empires. At the time of Habsburgs, Spain reached the peak of its world power....
could do even less than the British to keep out foreign traders, and Canadian trade with Cuba and other Spanish holdings also rose in prominence. This trade peaked in the years immediately before Canadian Confederation
Canadian Confederation
Canadian Confederation was the process by which the federal Dominion of Canada was formed on July 1, 1867. On that day, three British colonies were formed into four Canadian provinces...
. Canada shipped flour
Flour
Flour is a powder which is made by grinding cereal grains, other seeds or roots . It is the main ingredient of bread, which is a staple food for many cultures, making the availability of adequate supplies of flour a major economic and political issue at various times throughout history...
, corn
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
, timber
Lumber
Lumber or timber is wood in any of its stages from felling through readiness for use as structural material for construction, or wood pulp for paper production....
, and fish
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
to the Caribbean, while sugar
Sugarcane
Sugarcane refers to any of six to 37 species of tall perennial grasses of the genus Saccharum . Native to the warm temperate to tropical regions of South Asia, they have stout, jointed, fibrous stalks that are rich in sugar, and measure two to six metres tall...
and rum
Rum
Rum is a distilled alcoholic beverage made from sugarcane by-products such as molasses, or directly from sugarcane juice, by a process of fermentation and distillation. The distillate, a clear liquid, is then usually aged in oak barrels...
moved north. In the Maritimes a prosperous sugar refining and rum industry arose based on these imports.
Also of historical importance was the military
Military
A military is an organization authorized by its greater society to use lethal force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or perceived threats. The military may have additional functions of use to its greater society, such as advancing a political agenda e.g...
relationship between British colonies in the Caribbean and Canada. Halifax was the major North American British naval base, and British warships frequently travelled between it and the Caribbean. In both the First and Second World Wars Canadian troops were moved to the Caribbean to replace British forces that were needed in other theatres. Canadian troops in particular were stationed in Saint Lucia
Saint Lucia
Saint Lucia is an island country in the eastern Caribbean Sea on the boundary with the Atlantic Ocean. Part of the Lesser Antilles, it is located north/northeast of the island of Saint Vincent, northwest of Barbados and south of Martinique. It covers a land area of 620 km2 and has an...
to protect against attacks by the German military during the first World War.
While the relationship with the United States and with Britain continued to be the most important ones to the British colonies of the West Indies, there were also growing concerns about American domination and Canada was seen as an important counterbalance. The United States imposed high import duties, and greatly favoured its domestic sugar industry over that of its southern neighbours.
Proposals of political union
There were continued political and cultural links between Canada and the West Indies. This led to a number of Caribbean colonies engaging in short movements to enter into Canadian ConfederationCanadian Confederation
Canadian Confederation was the process by which the federal Dominion of Canada was formed on July 1, 1867. On that day, three British colonies were formed into four Canadian provinces...
. Some of these proposals were never seriously considered in Canada, and few in the West Indies actually felt they were valid solutions.
Jamaica
In the political crisis that hit JamaicaJamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
in 1882, one of the proposed solutions was joining Canada. Michael Solomon led the pro-Confederation faction, but when he introduced a motion to that effect in the Legislative Council everyone but he voted against it.
Barbados
Prominent Barbadian R.P. Elliott wrote to the Canadian government on behalf of a number of the islands' elite asking to join Canada.British West Indies
In the years after the First World War the British started to look at ways to consolidate the British Empire. For example several British possessions in OceaniaOceania
Oceania is a region centered on the islands of the tropical Pacific Ocean. Conceptions of what constitutes Oceania range from the coral atolls and volcanic islands of the South Pacific to the entire insular region between Asia and the Americas, including Australasia and the Malay Archipelago...
were transferred under the protection of Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, and the British government of Lloyd George strongly considered transferring the responsibility for all British colonies in the Caribbean, as well as Newfoundland and the Falkland Islands
Falkland Islands
The Falkland Islands are an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean, located about from the coast of mainland South America. The archipelago consists of East Falkland, West Falkland and 776 lesser islands. The capital, Stanley, is on East Falkland...
, to the Canadian government, but most Canadians were not interested due to strong sentiments that Canada should retain the policy of not becoming a colonising force in the world.
This had some light support among Canada's business community, some of whom had just established businesses expanding into the West Indies region. Among them was Canadian businessman T.B. Macaulay, the son of the founder of Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada. Thomas Bassett Macaulay became very fond of working with the governments in the West Indies. He went on to become President of the group known as which he co-found and was in existence until 1934. Additionally in the West Indies he acted as a representative for the Leeward Islands
Leeward Islands
The Leeward Islands are a group of islands in the West Indies. They are the northern islands of the Lesser Antilles chain. As a group they start east of Puerto Rico and reach southward to Dominica. They are situated where the northeastern Caribbean Sea meets the western Atlantic Ocean...
at the Canada-West Indies Trade Conference.
Canadian businessman Harry Crowe impressed upon Canadian Prime Minister Robert Borden
Robert Borden
Sir Robert Laird Borden, PC, GCMG, KC was a Canadian lawyer and politician. He served as the eighth Prime Minister of Canada from October 10, 1911 to July 10, 1920, and was the third Nova Scotian to hold this office...
to direct Sir Joseph Pope
Joseph Pope
Sir Joseph Pope, KCMG CVO ISO was a Canadian public servant. He was Private Secretary to Sir John A. Macdonald from 1882 to 1891 and Assistant Clerk to the Privy Council & Under Secretary of State for Canada from 1896 to 1926.He married Marie-Louise-Joséphine-Henriette Taschereau in...
to issue a report titled Confidential Memorandum Upon the Subject of the Annexation of the West India Islands to the Dominion of Canada in which five major advantages were outlined for Canada to contemplate union with the West Indies territories.
- It would give to Canada an increase of territory amounting to 113000 square miles (292,668.7 km²), and of population 2,300,000 thus adding considerably to the importance and influence of the Dominion.
- The tropical products available in the new territory would make the Dominion more self-contained and would give us practically all the advantages of a diversity of climate and products which are afforded to that great Republic by the southern portion of the United States.
- The importance of sea power would become so obvious under new conditions as to leave little room for argument to the contrary.
- Confederation would afford a broader market to our manufacturers and producers which must result in a very large development of trade, as we produce precisely what they require, and vice versa.
- It would balance the accessions which will accrue to the other self-governing dominions at the termination of the war in the only way in which it is possible for Canada to obtain an equivalent, and thus to some extent compensate the Dominion for the sacrifices she has made in the defence of the Empire.
The Bahamas
After the defeat of the Jamaican measure, the government of The BahamasThe Bahamas
The Bahamas , officially the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, is a nation consisting of 29 islands, 661 cays, and 2,387 islets . It is located in the Atlantic Ocean north of Cuba and Hispaniola , northwest of the Turks and Caicos Islands, and southeast of the United States...
presented a similar initiative in 1911. T.B. Macaulay encouraged members of the Legislative Council in the Bahamas to likewise consider pursuing political union with Canada, this political union proposal was ultimately rejected on the Canadian side.
West Indies Federation
During World War II trade between the Caribbean islands and Britain was mostly severed due to the sinking of many British merchant ships in the Atlantic. Canadian trade however continued to increase and Canada became the largest trading partner of the islands. Proposals were made at the end of the war for a free trade agreement to be concluded though this idea additionally never materialised.During 1950s several politicians involved in the West Indies Federation
West Indies Federation
The West Indies Federation, also known as the Federation of the West Indies, was a short-lived Caribbean federation that existed from January 3, 1958, to May 31, 1962. It consisted of several Caribbean colonies of the United Kingdom...
again broached an idea of political association with Canada. One proposal from the Caribbean heads was for the West Indies Federation to first become a fully functional unit and following five years time the bloc should look at obtaining dominion status with Britain and possibly move to seek political association with Canada at that time. The Canadian government presented the new government of the West Indies Federation with two merchant ships. The twin ships named The Federal Palm and The Federal Maple sailed to all ports between Jamaica in the north and Trinidad and Tobago in the south and were a key aspect of building trade links between the islands. Several meetings continued to take place in the Caribbean region and in Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
to formulate the structure and exact form of the future political association with Canada, but a constant occurrence in the Federation of haggling between the heads of governments stymied the movement. After 4 years, the entire West Indies Federation unraveled, with the head of Jamaica publicly claiming that "one from ten leaves nought", with Jamaica representing the number "1" in the number ten, thus leaving a zero (representing the remaining islands). Trinidad and Tobago's leader quickly followed Jamaica's exit by saying if Jamaica represented the 1, then they were the 0 itself leaving "none", ending the Federation experiment. The remaining islands tried a group of the "Little 8" said it wanted to go its own direction and Barbados
Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...
next withdrew from any idea of a smaller group. The remaining islands came up with the West Indies Associated States
West Indies Associated States
The West Indies Associated States was the collective name for a number of islands in the Eastern Caribbean whose status changed from being British colonies to states in free association with the United Kingdom in 1967...
, but ultimately, they too reverted to their sovereign paths. The 1960s overall marked a decade of political independence by a large number of Caribbean nations from Britain.
Turks and Caicos Islands
During the 1970s and 1980s the idea of political union was again briefly raised with some discussion of the Turks and Caicos IslandsTurks and Caicos Islands
The Turks and Caicos Islands are a British Overseas Territory and overseas territory of the European Union consisting of two groups of tropical islands in the Caribbean, the larger Caicos Islands and the smaller Turks Islands, known for tourism and as an offshore financial centre.The Turks and...
joining Canada. It received some political dialogue in the governments of both nations however Canada became hesitant when it was revealed that the Turks and Caicos were due to hold a General Election. A finding by a Canadian commission recommended that the government of Canada should disengage so as to not influence the free outcome of the Turks and Caicos elections. The commission maintained that if any locale wanted to open dialogue on political association with Canada it had to be totally of the resident populations own free will. The study however recommended that Canadians should consider increasing aid into the islands to support the Turks and Caicos inhabitants and to help increase their standard of living in the islands in the meanwhile.
This died down around 1987 but it was again revived on the Canadian side in 2003 when a television programme aired about Canada's past flirtation of political union proposals. In 2004 Peter Goldring
Peter Goldring
Peter Goldring is a Canadian federal politician.Goldring is currently a member of the Conservative Party of Canada in the Canadian House of Commons, representing the riding of Edmonton East since 2004, Edmonton Centre-East since 2000, and Edmonton East from 1997 to 2000...
, MP for Edmonton Centre-East proposed holding exploratory dialogues in the Caribbean islands to find out if there is still any interest for Canada to accord a political union. He lobbied in the Canadian House of Commons that should any nation in the Caribbean wish to proceed that this state should be elevated to the level of a Province rather than territory and in so doing the locale would become Canada's 11th Province.
In a 2009 e-mail correspondence with Mr. Goldring, he noted that "I... do not advocate the "annexation" of The Turks and Caicos Islands, as this term is one that is associated with colonialism", nor did he advocate a union with the islands unless there was "a clear and determined great majority of overwhelming will by both countries' citizens for such an association" and instead advocated an economic union, whether that is through a free-trade agreement or a customs union.
Trade
In the later part of the nineteenth century the British system of imperial preferenceImperial Preference
Imperial Preference was a proposed system of reciprocally-levelled tariffs or free trade agreements between the dominions and colonies within the British Empire...
was largely dismantled and the Canadian traders lost their advantage in the Caribbean. The United States' economic and political power grew in the region, as they also removed many of the tariff barriers with the region. At the end of the century the United States gained political control over a number of Caribbean areas, such as the Danish Virgin Islands, Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
, and Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
and American business relations had a near monopoly on trade in those areas. Trade patterns also shifted, as the market for West Indian sugar disappeared. By the Second World War bauxite
Bauxite
Bauxite is an aluminium ore and is the main source of aluminium. This form of rock consists mostly of the minerals gibbsite Al3, boehmite γ-AlO, and diaspore α-AlO, in a mixture with the two iron oxides goethite and hematite, the clay mineral kaolinite, and small amounts of anatase TiO2...
had replace sugar as the main export to Canada, and Jamaica and Guyana became the most important trading partners, while imports from the smaller islands declined considerably.
While trade between the regions declined, Canadian investment increased. As British companies pulled out of the region after decolonization, Canadian companies moved in. This was especially true in the banking and insurance sectors. Caribbean governments welcomed Canadian investment as a tool to prevent the total economic domination of the United States. This is perhaps most obvious in Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
which pursued close economic ties with Canada after the Cuban Revolution
Cuban Revolution
The Cuban Revolution was an armed revolt by Fidel Castro's 26th of July Movement against the regime of Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista between 1953 and 1959. Batista was finally ousted on 1 January 1959, and was replaced by a revolutionary government led by Castro...
.
Cooperation
Canada and many countries of the Caribbean have a special relationship based on a long history of close commercial, investment, cultural and political ties as well as many shared common values and resemblance of institutions.Canada was a founding member of the Caribbean Development Bank
Caribbean Development Bank
The Caribbean Development Bank is a financial institution which assists Caribbean nations in financing social and economic programs in its member countries...
(CDB) in January 1970, and contributed $181.5 million during the first six cycles of the CDB's Special Development Fund. These contributions provided support for sustainable socio-economic development with an emphasis on reducing poverty and, more recently, strengthening democracies and regional economies.
Several agencies of the Canadian government have played a wide ranging role of offering cooperation in many of the region's countries over the decades. Some of these agencies include the Canadian International Development Agency
Canadian International Development Agency
The Canadian International Development Agency was formed in 1968 by the Canadian government. CIDA administers foreign aid programs in developing countries, and operates in partnership with other Canadian organizations in the public and private sectors as well as other international organizations...
, the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency
Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency
The Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency is the Canadian federal government agency responsible for helping to build economic capacity in the Atlantic Provinces by working with the people of the region – in their communities, through their institutions and with their local and provincial governments...
, the Canadian Trade Commissioner, the Transport Canada
Transport Canada
Transport Canada is the department within the government of Canada which is responsible for developing regulations, policies and services of transportation in Canada. It is part of the Transportation, Infrastructure and Communities portfolio...
, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission and other agencies.
Canada has taken a lead role more recently in helping Haiti to return to a state of normalcy following the February, 2004 uprising. The Government of Canada has provided much of this assistance though the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti MINUSTAH in addition to direct cooperation.
Aviation
Canadian assistance in Aviation services in the region have been carried out through the second half of the 20th century. During the late 1960s Canadian assistance through Transport Canada was sought to establish new venues for training Caribbean-based Air Traffic ControllerAir traffic controller
Air traffic controllers are the people who expedite and maintain a safe and orderly flow of air traffic in the global air traffic control system. The position of the air traffic controller is one that requires highly specialized skills...
s.
More recently the Vancouver Airport Services
Vancouver Airport Services
Vancouver Airport Services is an airport management company with 19 airports worldwide. It is a subsidiary of the Vancouver Airport Authority which manages Vancouver International Airport....
also manages many airports in and around the Caribbean region.
Recent times
Presently, Canada's banksBanking in Canada
Banking in Canada is widely considered the most efficient and safest banking system in the world, ranking as the world's soundest banking system for the past three years according to reports by the World Economic Forum. Released at October 2010, Global Finance magazine put Royal Bank of Canada at...
have an especially large role in the Caribbean commercial banking industry. Canadian banks own the three largest banks in the English-speaking Caribbean.
Additionally several Canadian energy companies have significant stakes in Caribbean-based providers of electricity.
- Canadian International Power Company Ltd. (CIPC)
} (Barbados Light and Power Company
Barbados Light and Power Company
The Barbados Light & Power Company Limited is a wholly owned subsidiary of Light & Power Holdings and currently the sole electricity utility provider in the country of Barbados...
-- BL&P)
- EmeraEmeraEmera Incorporated is a Halifax, Nova Scotia based energy and services company with 570,000 customers.It operates three utility subsidiaries:* Nova Scotia Power* Bangor Hydro Electric Company* Saint Lucia Electricity Services Limited...
} (St. Lucia Electricity Services Limited—LUCELEC)
- Fortis Inc.Fortis Inc.Fortis Inc. is a St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador based international diversified electric utility holding company. It primarily operates in Canada and the Caribbean. In 2005, it earned a profit of $137.1 million Canadian from revenue of $1.44 billion....
} (Belize Electricity Limited
Belize Electricity Limited
is the primary distributor of electricity in Belize, Central America. The Company, serves a customer base of approximately 77,000 accounts and is regulated by the Public Utilities Commission ....
-- BEL)
} (Caribbean Utilities Limited
Caribbean Utilities
Caribbean Utilities Company, Ltd. , known locally as "CUC", commenced operations as the only public electric utility in Grand Cayman, the largest of the three Cayman Islands, in May 1966...
-- CUC)
} (Fortis Turks and Caicos)
In 2006 several Canadian politicians moved to form the Canada-Caribbean Parliamentary Friendship Group.
In 2007, as part of a larger trip to Latin America and the Caribbean, Prime Minister Stephen Harper
Stephen Harper
Stephen Joseph Harper is the 22nd and current Prime Minister of Canada and leader of the Conservative Party. Harper became prime minister when his party formed a minority government after the 2006 federal election...
visited Barbados and Haiti. Observers said this was intended to increase Canada's visibility in the region and to remind Canadians of the region's importance.
The Canadian government announced in February 2009 that it was adding the Caribbean to its list of preferred recipients for foreign aid. This list includes 18 countries and the West Bank
West Bank
The West Bank ) of the Jordan River is the landlocked geographical eastern part of the Palestinian territories located in Western Asia. To the west, north, and south, the West Bank shares borders with the state of Israel. To the east, across the Jordan River, lies the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan...
, as well as the Caribbean.
In 2010, Canada was specifically excluded (along with the United States) from a new regional body, Community of Latin American and Caribbean States
Community of Latin American and Caribbean States
thumb|300px|Community of Latin American and Caribbean States.Total population: 591.662 million Total area: 20.438 million sq kmDensity: 28.95/sq km...
that includes all of the other sovereign states of the Americas.
Migration
Since the liberalization of Canada's immigration laws in the 1960s immigration from the Caribbean has increased dramatically. As of 2001, of Canada's 783,795-strong Black populationBlack Canadian
'Black Canadians is a designation used for people of Black African descent, who are citizens or permanent residents of Canada. The term specifically refers to Canadians with Sub-Saharan African ancestry. The majority of Black Canadians are of Caribbean origin...
(2.5% of Canadian population) nearly 40% have Jamaican heritage
Jamaican Canadian
Jamaican Canadians are Canadians of Jamaican descent, or Jamaican-born people with Canadian citizenship. The population, according to Canada's 2006 Census, is 231,110. Jamaican Canadians comprise about 30% of the entire black Canadian population.-History:...
, and an additional 32% have heritage elsewhere in the Caribbean or Bermuda. In addition many Canadians of South Asian descent
Indo-Canadians
Indo-Canadians are Canadians whose origins trace back to India. The terms East Indian and South Asian are used to distinguish people of ancestral origin from India, from the First Nations peoples of Canada who are often referred to as Indian, and from the people of the Caribbean, who are sometimes...
have immediate origins in the Caribbean.
The Canadian Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program (SAWP) consists of an annual recruitment of roughly 15,000 persons from the Caribbean and Mexico for temporary employment in Canada.
At the same time many Canadian snowbird
Snowbird (people)
The term snowbird is used to describe people from the U.S. Northeast, U.S. Midwest, or Canada who spend a large portion of winter in warmer locales such as California, Arizona, Florida, Texas, the Carolinas, or elsewhere along the Sun Belt region of the southern and southwest United States,...
s move to the Caribbean seasonally or for retirement.
See also
- Regional Security SystemRegional Security SystemThe Regional Security System is an international agreement for the defence and security of the eastern Caribbean region.The Regional Security System was created out of a need for collective response to security threats, which were impacting on the stability of the region in the late 1970s and...
- Seasonal Agricultural Workers ProgramSeasonal Agricultural Workers ProgramThe Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program is a Canadian government program is intended to allow workers from Mexico and the Caribbean to immigrate to Canada for temporary support during the planting and harvesting seasons, when there is no help available from within Canada.The program is available...
http://www.hrsdc.gc.ca/eng/workplaceskills/foreign_workers/ei_tfw/sawp_tfw.shtml - Caribbean Development BankCaribbean Development BankThe Caribbean Development Bank is a financial institution which assists Caribbean nations in financing social and economic programs in its member countries...
- Organization of American StatesOrganization of American StatesThe Organization of American States is a regional international organization, headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States...
- Proposals for new Canadian provinces and territoriesProposals for new Canadian provinces and territoriesSince Canadian Confederation in 1867, there have been several proposals for new Canadian provinces and territories. The Constitution of Canada requires an amendment for the creation of a new province but the creation of a new territory requires only an act of Parliament; therefore, it is easier...
- High Commission of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States in OttawaHigh Commission of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States in OttawaThe High Commission of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States in Ottawa is a regional High Commission office for multiple island-nations of the Eastern Caribbean located on Albert Street in Ottawa, Canada.- Overview :...
External links
- Statistics Canada:The Caribbean Community in Canada
- Trini woman wants to rule Canada - By Tony Best, (September 10, 2006) About the growing number of West Indian women getting into Canadian Politics.
- One hundred years of trade between Canada and the Caribbean commemorated (15 November 2008) - Caribbean Net News
- Canada-Eastern Caribbean debt management agreement signed (15 November 2008) - Caribbean Net News
- Canada and the Caribbean: Ties for good (14 August 2007) - The Secretariat of the Commonwealth of Nations
Political union
- CANADA MAY ANNEX BAHAMAS; Premier Borden and Islands' Governor General Discuss the Question - October 19, 1911, Thursday: The New York Times Company
- CANADIAN-WEST INDIAN CO-OPERATION IS URGED; Winston Churchill Promises His Aid to Bring About Their Closer Association. - June 27, 1921, Monday: The New York Times Company