Foreign Minister Hon. Mark Brantley remains steadfast in the Unity government’s pursuit to have St. Kitts-Nevis’ visa-free access to Canada reinstated.

The Minister met with Richard Hanley, Canada’s High Commissioner to Barbados and the OECS, on Monday, June 8, and the issue of the SKN’s efforts to regain visa free access to Canada featured high on the agenda. Another important topic discussed was the St. Kitts-Nevis Citizenship By Investment program.

“I underscored to the High Commissioner our government’s commitment to making the necessary policy adjustments and security upgrades to our Citizenship By Investment program to regain the confidence of the Canadian government in order that the visa-free access to Canada by our citizens can be restored,” said Brantley.

During the bilateral discussions High Commissioner Hanley was also updated on the government’s plans to open a High Commission in Ottawa by next month.

Brantley used the opportunity to discuss educational opportunities for nationals of St. Kitts and Nevis in Canada. St. Kitts-Nevis is a beneficiary of Canada’s CARICOM Leadership Scholarships Program which provides students and researchers from the diaspora with short-term exchange opportunities for study or research at the college, undergraduate and graduate levels.

Brantley and Commissioner Hanley dialogued about the multilateral nature of Canadian aid to the region in recent times. Canada’s contribution to the economic and social development of the twin islands continues to be manifested through its Caribbean Regional Development Program which contributes to increasing economic opportunities and security to SKN citizens.

The High Commissioner pushed his government’s ongoing support to St. Kitts and Nevis, highlighting Canada’s strong and abiding friendship with the Federation.

As a friendly gesture, Minister Brantley took the chance to present High Commissioner Hanley with a bottle of locally made Llewellyn’s Hot Sauce, made famous as the face of FedEx’s 2015 worldwide campaign.