Mr. Joe Preston, MP represented the
Canadian Branch of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association as an observer at
the 34th Regional Conference of the Caribbean, the Americas and the
Atlantic held in Georgetown, Guyana from July 12th to 16th,
2009.
Countries in attendance included:
Anguilla Antigua
& Barbuda
Bahamas Barbados
Bermuda British Virgin Islands
Cayman Islands Guyana
Jamaica St. Kitts
Nevis St. Lucia
Trinidad & Tobago Turks & Caicos Islands
United Kingdom (observer status)
The 34th Commonwealth Parliamentary
Association, Regional Conference of the Caribbean, the Americas and the
Atlantic commenced with the opening ceremony highlighting the history of
Guyana. The conference included many discussion sessions which provided
the host country and visiting countries the opportunity to present and discuss
a variety of important and timely topics. The Secretary General of the
Commonwealth, Mr. Kamalesh Sharma attended all discussion sessions.
Barbados and Cayman Islands opened discussions
with a presentation on the topic of the global economic crisis and its
consequences for the region. Antigua and Barbuda and Bermuda presented an
overview of the social impact of economic crisis. The priorities of spending
for Caribbean governments were outlined by Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana.
A thorough discussion on environment
and climate change ensued following a presentation by Guyana and Grenada.
Jamaica and St. Lucia presented the challenges in terms of public safety in
responses to crime. The Bahamas and the British Virgin Islands’ presentation on
human rights in the region provided context for a lengthy discussion on the
topic. The importance of strengthening Parliaments within the region was
highlighted by Guyana and Bermuda.
The world-wide economic downturn was
the key theme throughout all discussion sessions. The Caribbean Region has been
exceptionally hard hit by the global economic situation with reductions in the
tourist trade, increasing unemployment, slumping agricultural prices and a
reduction in remittances from other countries.
The Prime Minister of Guyana, the Right
Honourable Samuel Archibald Anthony Hinds provided a thorough presentation on a
low carbon development strategy. Significant discussions on the Caribbean Community
(CARICOM) took place throughout the 34th Regional Conference of the
Caribbean, the Americas and the Atlantic.
Respectfully submitted,
Mr. Russ Hiebert, M.P., Chair for
Mr. Joe Preston, M.P.
Canadian Branch
of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA