By SEAN DOUGLAS – The Newsday
TORONTO, Canada – Canadian Governor General, David Johnston, illustrated the close ties between his nation and TT by noting that some 100,000 TT nationals now live in Canada.
His comment came at a State Dinner hosted by President George Maxwell Richards at “Knowsley”, Queen’s Park Savannah, last Monday night, also attended by Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar and her Cabinet and Acting Chief Justice Wendell Kangaloo.
“Today, some 100,000 people whose origins lie in Trinidad and Tobago call Canada home, and an estimated 6,000 Canadians live here (in TT),” Johnston said.
“I want to emphasise the important contribution this country’s Diaspora makes to Canada’s well-being. Our diversity is our greatest strength, and Canada is a better country for the presence of people from Trinidad and Tobago.”
Likewise, he said the same could be said of Canadians living here who are actively contributing to the social, economic and cultural life of TT.
“The vitality of our respective expatriate communities speaks well of our ability to live and to work together,” said Johnston.
He said the two nations’ relationship is dynamic and multi-faceted, encompassing sectors such as trade, education, science and technology, security, governance, culture, environment, sport and health.
“We also co-operate within the Commonwealth, the United Nations and the Organisation of American States with the aim of building a smarter, more caring world. We are both globally minded nations with important roles to play in the Americas and around the world,” he added.
Johnston noted the two nations’ close links in education as well.
“Canada has been pleased to welcome so many students from Trinidad and Tobago, and today there is the potential for even greater co-operation. Last October, for example, no fewer than 24 Canadian universities and colleges were represented at an education fair here in Port-of-Spain, demonstrating just how eager Canadians are to deepen our partnership in learning,” he said.
“As Governor General of Canada, and as someone who has spent much of his life in the world of post-secondary education, I strongly believe that learning can change our lives for the better.”
He also noted the two nations’ links in national security issues, and business and industry, and hailed TT as the largest, most diversified and industrialised economy in the Caribbean.
“Lastly, I want to highlight the contribution of Canadians to corporate social responsibility initiatives in Trinidad and Tobago. The smarter, more caring world we aspire to build demands that development go hand-in-hand with socially and environmentally responsible practices.”
Richards hailed the educational links between TT and Canada. These links, he said, had given birth to the Naparima Girls’ High School, which now marks its 100th anniversary. Canada Hall at the University of the West Indies, St Augustine, also attests to those links, as does the Commonwealth Scholarship Programme.
The President earned applause when he noted Canada was the place where Hasely Crawford had won gold for TT at the 1976 Montreal Olympics.
