Hundreds of Canadians still stranded in Guyana

Ramnarine (Johnny) and Mina Deonarain

Hundreds of Canadians who were reported to have been stranded in Guyana for more than a week,  have not yet left that country.

Up to press time they were still awaiting word from the Canadian government about their repatriation.

Two Fridays ago, about 300 of them were reported to have been awaiting the arrival of a Caribbean Airways aircraft  to fly them to Toronto.

But the plane did not make the trip to Guyana to pick up the passengers.

And the stranded Canadians had been having difficullty reaching officials at the Canadian High Commission in Georgetown, Guyana’s capital city.

Dave Deonarain,  a  Toronto-based attorney whose elderly parents are ” stuck” in Guyana, explained that Canadians in that country had been  having problems registering with Global Affairs Canada ” due to lack of internet service. ”

” And many  were relying on the Canadian  High Commission in Georgetown, but to no avail.”

Dave Deonarain

Deonarain  explained that ” Guyana is in a state of quarantine so internet cafes are closed and to get to somewhere to be on the internet will require Canadians to venture out instead of staying home.”

He complained that since March 14 last, the Canadian High Commission in Guyana has not answered its emails or phone calls ” to assist Canadians in Guyana to register with Global Affairs Canada.”

Deonarain noted that ” since the general elections in Guyana on March 2 last, there are political and security issues due to the allegations of election fraud.  At the moment, the US government is contemplating sanctions against Guyana.

“This political instability along with the inadequate health services poses an immediate and grave danger to the Canadians that are stranded in Guyana.”

He explained that ” for the past 40 years, there had been weekly flights to and from Toronto and Guyana. So there should be no issues with regard to logistics to get a flight sent from Canada to Guyana. ”

More than  a week ago, The Caribbean Camera wrote to Canada’s Foreign Affairs minister, Francois-Phillipe Champaigne, informing him about the plight of the stranded Canadians in Guyana.

But there has been no response from the minister.