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His Excellency the Right Honourable David??Johnston, Governor??General and Commander-in-Chief of Canada. (www.gg.ca)

The long-standing trade, security and Commonwealth ties between Barbados and Canada are expected to take centre stage, when Canada’s Governor General (GG), David Johnston and his wife Sharon, pay a working visit to Barbados from April 29 to 30.

They will be joined by Minister of State of Foreign Affairs (Americas and Consular Affairs), Diane Ablonczy; Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Deepak Obhrai; Chief of Protocol, Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada, Margaret Huber; President and Chief Executive Officer of the Association of Canadian Community Colleges, James Knight; Chief Executive Officer of Polytechnics Canada, Nobina Robinson; and a number of other Canadian leaders from the business and educational sectors.

During the visit, the Canadian GG will meet with Acting Governor General, Elliot Belgrave and Prime Minister Freundel Stuart. He will also tour Bellairs Research Institute-McGill University’s teaching and research facility??, located at Folkestone, St. James and the Barbados Community College (BCC), Howells Cross Road, St. Michael, where he is expected to underline the growing educational linkages between Canada and the Caribbean.?? The BCC will also host a panel discussion on the importance of colleges in contributing to employability and economic prosperity.

After a tour of the Cannon Museum at the Historic Garrison, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the visit will conclude with a meeting of government officials, private sector representatives, members of the Barbados Defence Force and other friends of Canada at the Officers’ Mess.

In a communiqu?? from the Governor General’s Office in Canada, His Excellency said: "We are also delighted to carry out visits to Barbados to promote stronger business, security and educational linkages…

"…The development and sharing of knowledge and the dialogue between nations-which I like to call the ???Diplomacy of Knowledge’-is essential to our collective well-being in a global and interconnected world. It can be achieved through the linkages between education, innovation and commerce, which are the driving themes of my visit".

The Governor General is also slated to travel to the Federative Republic of Brazil, from April 22 to 28 and the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, from May 1 to 2.

Members of the public can follow the official visit??to the Federative Republic of Brazil, the working visit to Barbados and the State visit to the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago online at http://www.gg.ca/, where speeches, photos and videos of the Governor General will be posted.

joy-ann.gill@barbados.gov.bb/lisa.bayley@barbados.gov.bb

 

Author: Joy-Ann Gill/Lisa Bayley

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