Grenada PM discusses visa restrictions with Canadian PM
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| Published on Monday, May 4, 2009 |
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By Oscar Ramjeet
Caribbean Net News Special Correspondent
Email: oscar@caribbeannetnews.com
ST GEORGE’S, Grenada -- Grenada Prime Minister, Tillman Thomas, while in Port of Spain, Trinidad, for the Fifth Summit of the Americas last month took the opportunity to discuss a wide range of issues with other leaders.
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| Tillman Thomas, Prime Minister of Grenada (R) with law school classmate Oscar Ramjeet, Caribbean Net News Special Correspondent, just after Thomas met with the Canadiann Prime Minister in Port of Spain, Trinidad |
He had a brief meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and discussed the possibility of the Canadian government removing the visa restriction imposed more than seven years ago.
Thomas did not brief newsmen in Port of Spain about the discussion he had with his Canadian counterpart concerning the visas, but Spice Grenada reported that he told newsmen in St George’s on Saturday that the Canadian prime minister gave him an assurance that the issue would be followed up with Canadian High Commissioner in Barbados.
Canada imposed the restriction in December 2001 following concerns about a controversial Economic Citizenship Programme that was initiated by the previous New National Party (NNP) administration in Grenada that allowed questionable characters to end up with Grenadian passports.
Nationals of most countries that belong the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) do not need an entry visa to travel to Canada, unlike Grenada.
The Tillman Thomas administration, since it took reins of government in July, has decided not to renew the passports of economic citizens.
If successful, the new Grenada government is hoping that the Canadian government will once again allow Grenadians visa-free access to its country.
Recently a document detailing a list of close to 1,000 people who obtained economic citizenship under the NNP-run programme was laid before Parliament. It indicated that the main beneficiaries of this category of passports were persons from such countries as Pakistan, Portugal, Germany, China, Russia, Iran, Kuwait, Lithuania, Romania, Columbia, Slovakia, Iraq, Lebanon, Tadjik, Nigeria, Egypt, Vietnam, Yugoslavia, Uzbek,and Azerbaijanian.
Some convicted felons were also given Grenadian passport.
The suspension of the programme cost the previous administration between $1.8 million and $2.2 million annually.
Government fees charged per passport varied depending on the number of family members applying for economic citizenship.
Grenada's diplomatic relations with Canada started when the country gained independence in 1974. | | | | Reads : 1513 | | | |
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