-restates support over border controversy
Declaring that these are “unprecedented times for Guyana”, outgoing Canadian High Commissioner, Mark Berman said that its economic growth and transformation is unmatched and he restated Ottawa’s support for this country in its border controversy with Venezuela.
“It is a privilege to be able to witness and take part in this historical moment. Your government, Mr. President, continues to work with energy and relentlessness and your pace is impressive. And we often continue to struggle to keep up!”, he told the Canada Day event on Thursday at the Pegasus Suites and Corporate Centre where he also announced that the Canadian High Commission will now be located on the 6th floor of the building.
Warning that democracy, human rights and the rule of law continue to be under threat from authoritarian regimes around the world, Berman said that Canada will continue to play a key role in helping to build a safer and more prosperous world.
“We will continue to defend the rules-based international order and contribute to global security. Canada is proud to be a free and stable democracy, home to a diverse population and an inclusive society”, he said at the celebration of the 157th anniversary of Canada’s Confederation.
“Canada has always been a close friend to Guyana, and we will continue to work with you to strengthen our relationship and achieve your economic and social development goals”, he pledged.
He said that the Canadian government is concerned at the tensions between Guyana and Venezuela “and we reiterate that we stand with the Guyanese people, we stand with the government and we call for the respect of international law.”
Berman added that in this complex, ever-changing global environment good relations are paramount, “and I cannot emphasize enough the importance we place on our relationship with Guyana.”
He then pointed out that the past year was marked by three high level visits by Canadian officials.
In February of this year, Canada’s Minister of Inter-national Development, Ahmed Hussen, visited Guyana for the first time to sign the CAD$120 million sovereign loan agreement to support social services in Guyana. The loan is part of a co-financed initiative with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) which is providing US$30 million and it will be accompanied by CAD$4.5M in technical assistance funding to support its implementation.
The loan will be utilised to improve social protection and public assistance under the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security. This includes support for people living with disabilities, victims of gender-based violence, economic empowerment of women, and support for victims of trafficking-in-persons. The loan initiative will also improve the efficiency of the social safety nets by supporting a strategy for the digital transformation of the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security, Berman said.
“The signing of this agreement is testament to Canada’s commitment to supporting the developmental efforts of the Government of Guyana”, he noted.
Prior to that, in November 2023, a delegation of Canadian parliamentarians was hosted through the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association where Canada’s parliamentarians were able to meet with their Guyanese counterparts to explore areas of co-operation and exchange views on priorities.
Then earlier in July of 2023, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada, Maninder Sidhu made his first visit to Guyana as well, with a focus on strengthened bilateral and economic cooperation between the two countries and getting a firsthand look at Canadian projects in Guyana.
“These three visits were not the only high-level engagements between Canada and Guyana – in October of 2023, Your Excellency visited Ottawa for the Canada-Caricom summit during which you met bilaterally with Prime Minister Trudeau and in January of this year, Ambassador Bob Rae, Canada’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York, made his first official visit to Guyana where he participated in a series of meetings aimed at strengthening ties between Canada and Guyana”, he reminded.
Bilateral trade
With regards to trade, in 2023, Berman said that bilateral trade figures reached almost CAD$350 million. These numbers, he noted while showing an opportunity for further growth, have been driven by the countries’ shared commitment to economic development and the complementary strengths of the two economies. “Canada continues to be a reliable partner in many lines of business, including agriculture, energy, education and infrastructure to name a few.”
He then noted, that just recently Finance Minister Ashni Singh announced that Guyana’s greenstone belt will eventually be home to four producing mines by 2026, all of which are Canadian managed.
“While a rare feat to open even one mine – our partnership has grown to the point where Canada has found a home in Guyana, and we are incredibly proud of this announcement. Adding to this, Reunion gold’s mineral agreement signed in April with the GGMC and recent partnership with G-Mining shows further proof of Canada’s commitment to Guyana and its people”, he said.
According to Berman, Canada is also dedicated to supporting Guyana in diversification. The mission’s trade department has been promoting Guyana’s agriculture, agrifoods and infrastructure industries as well as its tourism sector and will continue to look for avenues to increase trade, he added.
With respect to collaboration on development, in addition to the signing of the Sovereign Loan, he noted that Canada has been investing approximately CAD$10 million a year into a number of areas, in close consultation with the Government of Guyana.
According to him, last year through the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives (CLFLI), and the Local Engagement and Action Fund (LEAF), Canada has been working with a number of local partners, tackling issues such as gender-based violence, trauma response training of medical personnel and environmental conservation.
“These small projects have had a great impact through the excellent implementation by our partners at the National Toshaos Council, the Guyana Public Hospital Corporation, Yupukari Village, HIAS and the NGO National Coordination Coalition”, he said.
Berman reminded that during Hussen’s visit, he also announced a CAD $9.5 million contribution to the Office of the President’s One Guyana Digital Initiative to train 2000 young Guyanese in the emerging digital skills technology sector, adding yet another Canadian contribution to Guyana’s education sector.
Canada is also supporting the local education sector through their CAD$19M Skills to Access the Green Economy (SAGE) TVET training project, supporting the modernization of the services offered by the New Amsterdam Technical Institute and others across Guyana. This is in addition to a number of other Canadian Colleges and educational institutions currently working with partner institutions in Guyana.
Furthermore, he said that at the Regional level, Canada is supporting President Irfaan Ali`s lead for CARICOM`s 25 by 25 Food Security Initiative which aims to reduce the Region’s US$6B food import bill, by 25 per cent by the year 2025.
“Our CAD$20M Sustainable Agriculture in the Caribbean Project in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture, has been working with farmers to increase productivity and profitability in the agricultural sector, mitigate the impacts of climate change, reduce the region’s vulnerability to natural disasters, and foster climate-resilient agricultural markets that offer increased equitable, inclusive and sustainable economic benefits for women and youth.”
Berman announced that his assignment in Guyana comes to an end in August and said, “As I noted, and as I reflect on the past year, standing here today is a bittersweet moment for me because it is the last time that I will be addressing this amazing group of individuals that I take the privilege to call friends. In a few weeks my time as High Commissioner to Guyana will be coming to an end and I will be leaving this beautiful country that I called home for the past three years and 8 months.”
Stating that it has certainly been one of the most fulfilling periods of his professional career, Berman said that he did not expect to fall in love with Guyana as much as he did. “While conducting my duties as High Commissioner I have been blessed to meet a people with hospitality like no other and in my spare time, I have travelled the length and breadth of this country and experienced firsthand it’s culture, its people and its tourism potential. Guyana may once have been a hidden gem, but it is hidden no longer as it is being revealed to the world and I am happy to say that I have been here during this leg of the journey”, he said.
