OECS–Canada Talks Spotlight Stronger Collaboration on Trade, Cybersecurity and Labour Mobility

The Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Commission today hosted a delegation from the High Commission for Canada at the OECS Headquarters in Morne Fortune, Castries, for high-level discussions aimed at deepening OECS–Canada cooperation across shared priorities, including education and scholarships, labour mobility, regional security, cybersecurity, trade and data-driven decision-making.

The Canadian delegation comprised Ms. Stephanie Sprott, Political Counsellor, Mr. Jean-Pierre Hamel, Senior Trade Commissioner, and Ms. Denyce Blackman, Political and Public Affairs Officer. The OECS delegation included Dr. Didacus Jules, Director General, Dr. Kisha Grant, Manager, Office of the Director General, and Ms. Nadege Jn Baptiste, Head of Development Cooperation and Resource Mobilisation (DCRM).

Discussions included a proposed meeting between OECS Heads of Government and Canada’s Prime Minister, Mark Carney, following formal correspondence from the OECS Chair proposing engagement at the highest political level. The OECS noted that Heads of Government have agreed in principle to the engagement, viewing it as timely amid evolving geopolitical dynamics and shared interests.

The meeting highlighted opportunities to broaden access for OECS citizens to Canadian tertiary education, technical training and professional exchanges, including expanded recruitment engagement by Canadian institutions across the region. The OECS emphasised interest in structured models that support skills mobility and circular migration, helping address labour shortages while mitigating risks of brain drain in the region.

Among the ideas discussed was the potential for OECS students to complete initial years of tertiary education at OECS community colleges before transferring to Canadian institutions to complete degrees, reducing costs while expanding opportunity.

The delegations also discussed the long-standing success of the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Programme (SAWP) and the role of the Eastern Caribbean Liaison Service (ECLS) as a highly effective labour mobility arrangement between Canada and the Caribbean.

The OECS reaffirmed the programme’s strong performance and its openness to administrative refinements that will enhance efficiency, while protecting the integrity of the programme and maintaining benefits to rural livelihoods and foreign exchange stability across small island economies.

Canada’s delegation outlined areas of interest, including regional security and trade, collaboration with the Regional Security System (RSS) and CARICOM IMPACS, and continued dialogue on matters related to citizen-by-investment programmes and evolving regulatory expectations.

The OECS highlighted the importance of genuine partnership in addressing transnational threats, particularly illicit trafficking and weapons proliferation, and noted the value of capacity building alongside hardware support. The delegations also discussed cybersecurity engagement and the importance of safeguarding data sovereignty, alongside the OECS Commission’s ongoing strengthening of its digital transformation and data governance capabilities.

The OECS further underscored the strategic value of enhanced cooperation on statistics and evidence-based policymaking, including potential deeper engagement with Statistics Canada and related regional initiatives.

Both sides welcomed continued technical discussions to identify feasible areas for expansion and near-term actions, including education and training partnerships, trade and economic engagement, and strengthened collaboration on regional security and cybersecurity.