Prime Minister Gaston Browne has commended Canada’s decision to offer visa-
free entry to some Antiguans and Barbudans, describing it as ‘a welcomed
development.’
Speaking on the Browne and Browne show over the weekend, PM Browne said he
felt that it was a privilege that should not have been removed from Antiguans and
Barbudans in the first place.
“Canada and the Caribbean have always enjoyed special relations, with a common
history of being colonies of the United Kingdom, and past Canadian prime
ministers had developed a particular love for the Caribbean and its people,” the
prime minister noted.
Additionally, PM Browne spoke of the personal friendship he currently enjoys
with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Based on these facts, he said Canada should
not have adopted what he called ‘a hostile stance against the Caribbean.’
The prime minister also feels that negative comments emanating from opposition-
aligned media entities may have helped muddy the waters concerning how Antigua
and Barbuda was viewed by countries such as Canada.
“What had happened is that they had mired the country in much controversy
stating that it was giving away CIP passports to known ‘crooks’,” he stated.
PM Browne admitted that over the years ‘one or two’ persons were granted CIP
passports, who were later found to have been involved in unscrupulous activities.
Unfortunately, much ‘hysteria’ was generated around these very few incidents and
which may have been picked up by the person at the Canadian Embassy in the
region, who may have made a recommendation to halt visa-free access for
Antiguans and Barbudans.
The new requirements come with some limitations. They will only apply to
persons with a US visa or those who have had a Canadian visa over the last ten
years.
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