Jamaica and Canada have agreed on concrete steps to further strengthen collaboration and partnership following the 8 th staging of the Jamaica-Canada Bilateral Consultations, which were held at the Foreign Ministry yesterday (June 6).
New Areas of Cooperation
During yesterday’s consultations, Jamaica and Canada discussed new areas for cooperation linked to water harvesting, education, data protection, records and information management, nuclear energy, agriculture and fisheries, as well as security cooperation to combat Trafficking in Persons, while increasing training and technical support in areas such as cybersecurity. Both countries also agreed to establish Technical Working Groups to follow up on the issues discussed in advance of the 9th staging of the bilateral consultations to be held in Canada come 2026.
Temporary Foreign Work Programmes
The discussions also highlighted the importance of labour programmes in bolstering the economies and labour markets of both countries. The Diplomats from both countries addressed the challenges and opportunities of the Seasonal Agricultural Workers’ Programme and the Temporary Foreign Labour Programme for agriculture and fish processing, while covering issues related to visa processing, accreditation for skilled workers, and labour mobility.
Enhanced Regional Cooperation
In the area of regional and multilateral cooperation, issues such as funding for the Multinational Security Support Mission to Haiti, financing for development and candidatures were discussed. These consultations have laid the groundwork for the implementation of the Jamaica-Canada Bilateral Roadmap 2024–2026, which outlines shared priorities of this strategic partnership over the next two years.
Jamaica’s delegation was headed by Ambassador Sheila Sealy Monteith, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, while the Canadian delegation was led by Mr. Glen Linder, Assistant Deputy Minister of Global Affairs Canada. High Commissioners, Her Excellency Emina Tudakovic of Canada and Her Excellency Marsha Coore-Lobban of Jamaica, were also present.
Canada is the second largest market for tourist arrivals in Jamaica, and is home to more than 300,000 Jamaicans in the Diaspora. Canada is also among the first three countries to have established diplomatic relations with independent Jamaica in 1962
