Excerpt from Jamaica Observer column published 2 November 2020
by Jean Lowrie-Chin
Outgoing Canadian High Commissioner (HC) Laurie Peters began her tour of duty in Jamaica in September 2017, and has played a significant role in the promotion of commercial, scientific, educational and cultural exchanges between the countries, undoubtedly bolstering Canadian presence locally and regionally. An outstanding aspect of her work in advocacy and international diplomacy was her advancement Canada’s feminist foreign policy by championing commitments for gender equality, peace, and security.
HC Peters directed Canada’s continued support of Jamaica's response to COVID-19 through its health, economic growth and education activities. Since the outbreak, Canada has provided over $75 million (CAD 500,00) in support of the health and development sectors. Most recently, Canada made available an additional $482 million (CAD$4.7 million) for Jamaica towards the Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility (CCRF) premiums. She spearheaded a new $20M Canada-Caribbean Resilience Facility at the World Bank to provide Jamaica with timely technical assistance and emergency funding in the aftermath of a disaster.
Other highlights of her tour was swift hurricane response in the region, immigration
activities including the Seasonal Agricultural Worker’s Program (SAWP), programmes
promoting peace, security and justice, skills training to access the ‘green’
economy, and Canada’s long-standing defence partnership with Jamaica. In the area
of multilateral cooperation, she supported the roundtable held by PM Trudeau
with four small island developing states (SIDS) leaders including PM Holness
during the 2019 G7 Summit.
HC Peters gave special focus to programmes in education, and in April last year, signed a Memorandum of Understanding between UWI and Brock University to establish the Canada Caribbean Institute which will “harness academic expertise to help address important regional topics and foster intercultural understanding.”
In spite of her demanding schedule, HC Peters was ever gracious and approachable. We thank her for her meaningful support and advocacy, and wish her continued success in the service of her great country.
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FROM THE CANADIAN HIGH COMMISSION IN JAMAICA
KEY MILESTONES of HIGH COMMISSIONER PETERS' TOUR OF DUTY 2017-2020
Canada has enjoyed a close and wide-ranging relationship with Jamaica based on our strong history of people-to-people ties, security and defence cooperation, trade and investment, and development. This year, Canada and Jamaica celebrate 58 years of diplomatic relations.
High Commissioner Laurie Peters commenced her tour of duty in Jamaica in September 2017. During that time High Commissioner Peters has been instrumental in strengthening the relationship between Canada and Jamaica. She has played a significant role in the promotion of commercial, scientific, educational and cultural exchanges between the countries and has undoubtedly bolstered Canadian presence in both the local and regional landscape.
These are highlights of key milestones and achievements her tenure.
International advocacy
and diplomacy
· Canada and Jamaica see the international landscape through very similar
lenses and have a strong history of cooperation and support for each other’s
candidature in elections at UN bodies
· Helping to advance Canada’s feminist foreign policy by championing our
women, peace, and security priority commitments
• Development, Peace and Security Programming
• Help for Canadians Abroad
• Support for Canada’s Presence Abroad
Environment, Climate and Disaster Risk Reduction
Canada-Caribbean
Resilience Facility (CCRF)
Our new $20M Canada-Caribbean Resilience Facility at the World Bank will provide Jamaica with timely technical assistance and emergency funding in the aftermath of a disaster.
Canada is continuing to
support Jamaica's response to COVID-19 through its health, economic growth and
education activities. Since the outbreak, Canada has provided over $75 million
(CAD 500,00) in support of the health and development sectors. Most recently, Canada made available an
additional a little over $482 million (CAD$4.7 million) for Jamaica towards the
Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility (CCRF) premiums. A further
injection of funds to create fiscal space to allow Jamaica to address the
impacts of the COVID-19 crisis.
Operational Support Hub
(OSH)
· OSH established
in Jamaica in 2016 to support Regional Disaster Mitigation and climate resilience
efforts.
· This “camp
in a box” Hub will support Latin American and Caribbean countries in the wake
of natural disasters, such as hurricanes or earthquakes.
· It can
accommodate approximately 200 people and has eating and common areas.
· Since the devastating hurricanes of 2017, Canada has delivered on its
commitment to Caribbean, through support to reconstruction, economic and
climate resilience; promotion of Caribbean interests in multilateral fora; and
engagement of the Canadian private sector.
· Canada
provided humanitarian assistance to Hurricane Irma’s affected countries,
including providing transport to emergency responders from Jamaica.
· Canada has supported the transportation of a contingent of 120 Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) soldiers to provide recovery and humanitarian support to The Bahamas, following the devastation caused by Hurricane Dorian.
Multilateral cooperation
· During the G7 Leaders’ Summit last year, PM Trudeau held a roundtable with four SIDS leaders (including PM Holness) and the heads of International Financial Institutions including the IMF, World Bank, and OECD.
· Canada and Jamaica
have chaired the Global Discussions on COVID-19 Financing and Cooperation
· Canada's
minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Ahmed Hussen visited Jamaica in 2019 for a three-day working visit
to, among other things, shore up cooperation between his country and tertiary
education institutions
Gender Equality
Gender
equality and the empowerment of women and girls are central objectives of
Canadian foreign policy. Canada focuses on dismantling persistent inequalities
between women, men, girls and boys, and accounts for how other forms of
discrimination may overlap or intersect.
Women’s Voice &
Leadership- Caribbean project
· This regional
project commenced implementation in 2020. It is part of the larger $150 million
global Women’s Voice and Leadership Program. 27 women’s rights organizations
from across the Caribbean, 4 in Jamaica will receive finding and technical
support to build out their advocacy and social intervention programs.
· Canada has hosted (with the European Delegation) at National Gallery of Jamaica the inaugural International Women’s Breakfast Forum on “The Art of Empowerment” which engaged over 50 women parliamentarians, diplomats and other leaders in discussion on the ways to empower more women to take on leadership roles in their respective spheres, including in non-traditional areas.
The Faces for Equality which recognises champions in the field of human rights, women’s empowerment
and gender equality.
· SheLeadsIT,
co-founded by Bridget Lewis and Nicole Pitter Patterson, which convenes the
annual Girls in ICT Day Caribbean Hackathon which provides an opportunity for
girls and young women to innovate for change through website and mobile app
development, podcasting, animation and gaming.
· The Peace Management Initiative, implements
a Violence Interruption Programme which
works through the CSJP in 20 vulnerable and volatile communities in Kingston
and St. Andrew, St. Catherine and Clarendon to identify potential acts of
violence and mediate conflicts.
· Young Women and Men of Purpose, founded by Lanisia Rhoden, has been empowering young women in Central Jamaica to Realise, Embrace and Achieve their Purpose (R.E.A.P.) through entrepreneurship training and support.)
Supporting Civil Society
The
Canada Fund for Local Initiatives (CFLI)/Canada Fund
·
CFLI has been
supporting small-scale, high-impact projects, in Jamaica. The program is
directed at projects conceived and designed predominantly by local partners. Areas
of focus include gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls;
peace and security with a focus on conflict prevention and building peace; and
environment and climate action focusing on adaptation and mitigation, as well
as on water management.
·
Notable projects include:
o Support to continuing
education for young students during COVID-19 in inner city communities
o Guns over
Gloves Project aimed at using sports for peace building and conflict
management.
o Canada has provided $100,000 CAD to support to the field hospital
Immigration
Seasonal Agricultural
Workers’ Program (SAWP) and other workers
· Jamaica was
the first country to sign a bilateral Seasonal Agricultural Workers’ Program
(SAWP) agreement with Canada over 50 years ago. Now in its, 54th
season, the program remains highly successful with mutual benefits for both
Jamaica and Canada.
· Over 9,000
Jamaican workers currently go to Canada annually under the program.
· Every year,
approximately 80% of the Jamaican workers who apply for work permits under the
program are returning workers (i.e. previous program participants).
· Canada
continues to engage with Jamaica on a range of labour related issues including
not only work protections, but also growing opportunities for labour mobility.
Peace, Security and Justice
With more than 50 years of significant defence
cooperation, Jamaica is a crucial security partner for Canada in the Caribbean.
·
The relocation last fall of
our Canadian Defence Attaché for the Caribbean from Havana to Kingston
underlines the importance of our defence ties with Jamaica, and our efforts to
strengthen security across the Caribbean.
· Operational
Support Hub for Latin America and the Caribbean (OSH-LAC). In 2012
the MND and Jamaican Minister of National Security signed an MOU permitting the
establishment of the OSH-LAC in Jamaica. The OSH-LAC provides an effective and
efficient operational support to CAF missions in the region, including
humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations (HADR).
The Anti-Crime Capacity Building Program (ACCBP)
ACCBP works to improve the capacity of beneficiary
states, government entities and international organizations to deal with
transnational crime. ACCBP focuses on: illicit drugs; corruption; human
trafficking and migrant smuggling; money laundering and proceeds of crime;
security sector reform, and; crime prevention (including prevention of
cyber-crime). Examples of projects that have included Jamaica in 2018 include: Anti-corruption, cyber-crime, money
laundering, and fighting crime in tourist locations. In total, last year ACCBP
spent over $800k on projects in Jamaica.
Citizens Security and
Justice Program (CSJP)
· Implemented
by Jamaica’s Ministry of National Security, with the assistance of the IDB),
and through funding from Canada and the UK, the project is to enhance citizen
security and justice within targeted communities throughout Jamaica by
improving the behaviours for non-violent conflict resolution; increase labour
market attachment among youth and increase access to effective community and
alternate justice services.
The Justice
Undertakings for Social Transformation (JUST)
· We are
pleased by the results of the decade-long JUST partnership between the Jamaican
Ministry of Justice, and Canada. It is a model for strengthening justice
systems.
· Canada’s
$20M (2009-2020) JUST Program in partnership with the UNDP and the Jamaican
Ministry of Justice, aims to: 1) improve the capacity of core justice sector
institutions to manage and implement their core business; 2) strengthen the
technical and result-based management capacity of the Ministry of Justice of
Jamaica, including the establishment of a Justice Reform Implementation Unit
(JRIU); 3) improve the capacity of women, men, girls and boys to access justice
information, advice and legal services, and to increase participation in the
justice reform process.
· Through the
program, Canada supports Jamaican court services in the rolling-out of the Case
Information Statistical System (CISS) in family, tax and traffic courts.
· Supports
MOJ’s Restorative Justice, Child Diversion programmes
· Providing 2
new retrofitted Justice services Buses to increase access to justice for rural
and underserved communities
Trade and Investment
Serving as interlocutors in major business and trade agreements relating clean energy, entertainment, education and investments.
Education
Academic relations
·
Academic exchange is a critical part of Canada’s
relationship with the Caribbean.
·
Several MOUs between colleges and universities in Jamaica
and Canada, as well as many active student exchange programmes.
o
Canada-Caribbean Research Institute
o
Utech/MetalWorks Institute
o Fanshawe Global contract award for EV training in the region
Study in Canada
· Over 3000
Jamaican students have been admitted to Canadian institutions.
UWI – Brock MOU to
establish the Canada Caribbean Institute
· Signed April
2019, the MOU between Brock University and the University of the West Indies
(UWI) harnesses academic expertise to help address important regional topics
and foster intercultural understanding. It commits the two institutions to
establish the Canada-Caribbean Institute that provides a focal point for
multi-disciplinary research and teaching.
Commercial
Skills to Access the
Green Economy (SAGE)
· OUR SAGE and
Climate Change Action for Gender-Sensitive Resilience projects will provide
technical and vocational training in sectors associated with climate change,
and help Jamaica develop sector-level National Adaptation and Mitigation Plans,
in particular in areas of greater impact for women and girls.
Information
Communication Technology (ICT)
·
True North- In 2018 we were pleased to have had a three-member delegation from
the Jamaica Computer Society (JCS) attend True North Conference in Waterloo. The JCS also launched a
Toronto chapter. Theme “Tech for Good”.
· Cybersecurity –
Over
the past 2 years partnered with the Mona ICT Policy Centre, University of the
West Indies for Annual National Cybersecurity Conference
· Collision - North
America’s fastest growing technology festival. It attracts 25,000+
participants. A 17 member delegation from Jamaica represented 13 participating
Jamaican organisations. Pipeline plans for Collision June 22- 25, 2020.
· Ryerson DMZ - The High Commission supported the DMZ in recruiting Jamaican
companies for the DMZYYZ
Intensive Program for International Entrepreneurs One (1) company from Jamaica was selected -
It's Pixel Perfect just completed the May 2019 cohort. Another potential
participant from Jamaica was also selected by the DMZ to participate
in September 2019. Over the past 9 years, DMZ has developed award-winning
programming which has helped tech founders raise millions of dollars and close
billions worth of sales. Toronto's ecosystem has been recognized
globally as a leader in innovation.
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