2nd Edition - July 2014

1
CANADIAN COMPANIES IN ACTION
CANADA DAY 2014
In 2014, The High Commission's Canada Day celebrations centred
around the theme "Canadian Companies in Action", in order to highlight
Corporate Social Responsibility !CSR" engagement by Canadian
Companies in Trinidad and Tobago.
Eight !8" Canadian companies took the opportunity to showcase their
CSR activities, undertaken within the communities in which they operate.
These CSR initiatives have created a sense of shared value for both the
companies and the citizens that are directly impacted.
The Government of Canada understands that responsible corporate
behaviour by Canadian companies
operating internationally not only
enhances their chances for business
success but can also contribute to
broad$based economic benefits for
the countries in which they are active,
and for Canada.
Investing and operating responsibly
al so pl ays an i mportant rol e i n
promoting Canadian values internationally and contributes to the
sustainable development of communities. The Government of Canada is
therefore committed to promoting responsible business practices; and
expects and encourages Canadian companies working internationally to
respect all applicable laws and international standards, to operate
transparently and in consultation with host governments and local
communities, and to conduct their activities in a social l y and
environmentally responsible manner.
As a part of Canada's network of diplomatic missions abroad, the High
Commission of Canada in Port of Spain actively promotes awareness and
understanding of the importance of responsible business practice and
Corporate Social Responsibility.
The High Commission is proud of the work Canadian companies are
doing in Trinidad and Tobago, and was most pleased to have an
opportunity to highlight their commitment at a celebration such as
Canada Day.
HIGH
COMMISSIONERS
MESSAGE
We are pleased to present the
second edition of our newsletter.
Canada is conducting a wide range
of activities in Trinidad and Tobago
in the areas of good governance,
human rights, trade, prosperity and
security. We value the long standing
bilateral relationship between our
two countries that is mutually
beneficial. Social Media has
expanded exponentially the
communication between people all
over the world and is nowadays
shaping the course of global events.
Diplomacy is not immune to these
changes. Our Mission has embraced
`Digital Diplomacy as supported by
the Canadian Foreign Minister. We
encourage you to follow the Mission
on Facebook/twitter -
facebook.com/hccanada.tt /
@CanadaTandT and my twitter
account - @gerardlatulippe
We look forward to hearing from
you and for the continued
collaboration between Canada and
Trinidad and Tobago.
Grard Latulippe -High Commissioner
for Canada to the Republic of Trinidad
and Tobago
UPCOMING EVENTS
Proliferation Security Initiative Regional
Conference (Sept 2014)
Conference on CCJ (Fall 2014)
Education Fair (November 2014)
HIGH COMMISSION OF CANADA, PORT OF SPAIN
HAUT!COMMISSARIAT DU CANADA, PORT DESPAGNE
C N - T N T NEWS
HIGH COMMISSION PROMOTES CANADA
AS THE PREMIER STUDY DESTINATION AT
T&T CAREER FAIR 2014
Between the months of January to March 2014, thousands of students
attended the National District Career Fair, an annual event hosted by the
Ministry of Education in conjunction with the Ministry of Tertiary
Education and Skills Training, across Trinidad and Tobago. Students
attended from a wide range of secondary institutions representing the
districts of Caroni, North Eastern, Port of Spain and Environs, Southern
Eastern, St. George East, St. Patrick, Tobago and Victoria.
While the Fair was initiated to allow students to discuss potential job
opportunities post$graduation with Trinidad and Tobago employers, the
High Commission took the opportunity to promote studying in Canada
as an option worth considering.
Following presentations and a video on studying in Canada, students had
the chance to engage i n di scussi ons wi th Hi gh Commi ssi on
representatives on specific areas, such as the advantages Canada has over
other destinations, the leisure and cultural opportunities, high quality of
living, value for money, natural beauty of the country, etc. Feedback from
our participation was extremely positive and encouraging. The exposure
gave students an opportunity to make connections, ask questions and
inquire more about why they should choose Canada as their premier
destination for study.
Here are a few of the many reasons why others have chosen Canada for
their study abroad experience $ qualifications valued around the world;
education is affordable; the quality of education is exceptional;
multicultural society, and the possibility of immigration.
We encourage students to visit http://www.educationau$incanada.ca for
more information. Imagine studying in Canada!
CANADA FUND FOR LOCAL
INITIATIVES "CFLI#
PROJECTS
FPATT
launches
programme
aimed at the
youth of T&T
The CFLI gave a grant
of %25,000 CDN for
the l aunch of a
programme by the
Fami l y Pl anni ng
Associ ati on of
Trinidad and Tobago
! FPATT" enti tl ed
Integrating Gender$
based violence Services with Sexual and
Reproductive Health Services for Young
People.
These services will be offered through an
existing programme called De Living Room
which is aimed at youth under the age of 25.
This grant is part of the %4.8 M CDN spent by
Canada yearly geared toward domestic violence
issues.
TTTI establishes Advocacy and
Legal Advice Centre
With funding from the CFLI, the Trinidad and
Tobago Transparency Institute !TTTI"
established the Advocacy and Legal Advice
Centre. This Centre is one of the most
dynamic new anti$corruption intervention
initiatives by the global TI movement as
explained by TTTI. It will provide free legal
advice on corruption complaints and will raise
awareness on the different types of corruption
issues.
TTTI will collaborate with key institutes to
which accusations about corruption can be
directed to ensure that complaints with merit
are addressed.
2nd Edition - July 2014
2
GOVERNMENT OF CANADA DONATES
BIOHAZARD LAB TO CARPHA
The Government of
Canada, donated a fully
equi pped Bi osafety
Level 3 laboratory to
the Caribbean Public
Heal th Agency
!CARPHA", the first of
its kind in the English$
speaking Caribbean.
At the handover
ceremony, Canadian
High Commissioner
Grard Latul i ppe
explained that this new
laboratory is intended
to strengthen biological
securi ty, bi ol ogi cal
safety and biological risk
management across the Caribbean. Dr. C. James Hospedales,
Executive Director of CARPHA, pointed out that the movement of
international travellers, as well as the increased volume of global food
trade can facilitate rapid disease outbreaks among countries.
Minister of Health of Trinidad and Tobago, Dr. Fuad Khan, also
emphasized the importance of this facility upgrade saying that it would
allow for better preparation for any emergencies that can be caused by
pathogenic agents through early detection and enhanced response
capabilities.
HIGH COMMISSIONER LATULIPPE
PAYS OFFICIAL VISIT TO TOBAGO
Between the afternoon
of April 9 and April 11,
Hi gh Commi ssi oner
Grard Latulippe held a
variety of meetings with
seni or government,
representati ves of
business, NGOs, law
enforcement, and the
press and duri ng hi s
annual official visit to
Tobago.
While there he was hosted by the Tobago House of
Assembly Chief Secretary Orville London. The discussions
focused primarily on Tobago's economy and development
prospects. A key topic of conversation was the Canadian
funded Cari bbean Local Economi c Devel opment
!CARILED" project on the island. This project is designed to
develop business$friendly environments in which micro$,
small$ and medium$sized enterprises can prosper. In the
next few months CARILED will be working closely with the
Division of Finance and Enterprise Development as it
implements projects to stimulate sustainable local economic
development on the island.
Other key meetings that took place during the visit were
with Secretary Joel Jack of the Division of Finance and
Enterprise Development, Dedan Daniel of Export TT and
the Assistant Commissioner of Police Brian Headley.
NOVA SCOTIA FIRMS PARTICIPATE IN TRADE MISSION TO
TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO
The Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency !ACOA" and Nova Scotia Business Inc. !NSBI" led a
successful multi$sector trade mission to Trinidad and Tobago in June 2014. A delegation of twelve !12"
visited Trinidad and Tobago during that week to participate in a multi$sector trade mission aimed at
identifying and accessing business development opportunities in the market.
Atlantic delegates took the opportunity to showcase their considerable expertise in various areas
including chemicals manufacturing distribution; environmental consulting; business development for
female entrepreneurs; custom signage; energy/oil& gas training; clean technology solutions; paper
products; asset and maintenance management software; education and seafood products.
When asked about the effectiveness of the Mission, Jennifer Cormier, Trade Officer with ACOA stated
that "It's always the businesses themselves who make the deals, of course. Our role is to help the
companies make the initial connections from which the deals flow. We look for markets where companies
have mutual interests with Nova Scotian companies. There are plenty of opportunities in Trinidad and
Tobago$$for instance in such areas as environmental services, energy, seafood and food products,
packaging, ICT and educational services."
The companies successfully participated in prearranged one$on$one meetings, and a Trade Mission was
concluded with a networking breakfast involving members of the local business community.
2nd Edition - July 2014
3
MEDIA AND DEMOCRACY CANADA CONDUCTIONS MEDIA ELECTIONS
COVERAGE WORKSHOP
"Without good journalism you can't have good elections and you can't have good democracy. So stated John Keating, a practicing
journalist and journalism trainer with the organization Media and Democracy Canada, who was the facilitator of a media election
coverage course for regional journalists held in Port of Spain on March 12 2014.
The course, funded by the Government of Canada, covered topics such
as dealing with officials and candidates, institutional reporting and
election campaign reporting, proactive reporting, fairness and balance,
the journalists' role and post$election coverage. During the course,
Keating stated that the media should be the voice of the people and that
it should not be the politicians who determined what was important for
the media to cover. He said that journalists should maintain their
integrity and set the stage with respect to balanced coverage. Those who
participated expressed their appreciation of the timing of the course as
many countries in the Caribbean region will be preparing for elections
within the next two years.
The Government of Canada's engagement in the hemisphere has never been stronger, and we remain steadfast in our commitment to
play a bigger role in the Americas and to do so for the long term. The course forms part of the Canadian government's efforts at
carrying out its major foreign policy goal of reviving and expanding its political and economic engagement in the Americas.
SUPPORT FOR NATIONAL
SECURITY POLICY WORKSHOP
In February 2014, the High Commission was pleased to
support a National Security Policy and Strategy Drafting
Workshop, by facilitating the participation of two Canadian
security experts.
The three$day workshop, hosted by The Ministry of
National Security was a significant step towards the
establishment of a National Security Policy and Strategy
framework and process aimed at providing an integrated and
comprehensive response to issues of national security in
Trinidad and Tobago.
Canadian experts, Brigadier General Craig Hilton !Ret'd" and
Martin Rudner Ph.D. $ Distinguished Research Professor
Emeritus, Carleton University traveled from Canada to share
their knowledge and insight in a collaborative exchange
among stakeholder groups at the workshop.
TOP 10 IMMIGRATION QUESTIONS
Processing times : http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/times/temp.asp
Application Status : http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/helpcentre/results$by$
topic.asp?t=3
Where to do biometrics? / Who is eligible? http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/visit/
biometrics.asp
Fees : http://www.canadainternational.gc.ca/trinidad_and_tobago$
trinite_et_tobago/visas/fees$frais.aspx
PR travel document and how the obtai n one : http: / /
www.canadainternational.gc.ca/trinidad_and_tobago$trinite_et_tobago/visas/
travel$documents$perm$titres$voyage.aspx
Super visa $ parents and grandparents : http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/
helpcentre/answer.asp?q=426&t=16
Study Permit $ valid study permit and client wants to switch schools : http://
www.cic.gc.ca/english/helpcentre/answer.asp?q=487&t=15
Post Graduate Work Permit: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/department/media/
backgrounders/2008/2008$04$21.asp
Lost or stolen passport with valid visa $ How to obtain a replacement
document? http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/applications/guides/
5545ETOC.asp
How to apply? / Where to apply? http://www.canadainternational.gc.ca/
trinidad_and_tobago$trinite_et_tobago/visas/index.aspx?menu_id=2
2nd Edition - July 2014
4