Trinidad and Tobago trade mission builds new bridges with Canada

By Anthony Joseph

Trinidad and Tobago businesses are looking to deepen their presence in the Canadian market following a Toronto trade and investment mission that brought entrepreneurs, business leaders and government representatives together in a push to create new commercial partnerships between the two countries.

The mission concluded Tuesday evening with a reception at the Consulate General of Trinidad and Tobago in Toronto, where the importance of the longstanding Canada-Trinidad and Tobago relationship and the considerable role of the diaspora in strengthening it, took centre stage.

Trinidad and Tobago’s Consul General Simone Young described relations between the two countries as historically cordial and multifaceted, characterized by strong economic ties and extensive people-to-people connections.

Young congratulated the Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Industry and Commerce for taking a proactive and outward-looking approach to expanding trade.

“Trade, especially for the small and vulnerable economies of our region, can be an engine and a catalyst for growth that creates jobs, reduces poverty and increases economic opportunities,” the Consul General said.

The timing of the mission also allowed participating businesses to connect with the large Trinidad and Tobago diaspora during the Trinbago Toronto Festival. It provided an opportunity to showcase Trinidad and Tobago as an attractive investment destination, supported by a stable environment, skilled workforce and modern infrastructure.

Dr. Vashti Gaitri Guyadeen, CEO of the Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Industry and Commerce, said the mission was designed around business-to-business meetings, trade promotion and investment.

The delegation included representatives from nearly 25 companies and organizations in areas including food and beverage, manufacturing and services. Many were small and medium-sized businesses seeking opportunities to enter or expand in Canada.

“This evening marks the close of a productive mission, but more importantly, the beginning of new partnerships between Trinidad and Tobago and Canada,” Guyadeen told the gathering.

She said the Chamber intends to make the Canadian mission an annual initiative.

“We realize markets like Canada, you need to have a presence,” Guyadeen said in an interview with The Caribbean Camera. “It’s a sophisticated market. You don’t just come and jump out. You need to have commitment, you need to learn the market, learn the customer needs.”

Vidia Gayaden Gopaul-Singh, chairman of Trinidad and Tobago’s National Agricultural Marketing and Development Corporation, said that agriculture presents considerable export potential, particularly for distinctive Trinidad and Tobago products such as sugarloaf pineapple and the country’s internationally recognized Trinitario cocoa.

Masha Mobhair, an officer with Tourism Trinidad Limited, said the organization participated to build relationships with Canadian investors and strategic partners while presenting Trinidad and Tobago as an attractive tourism investment destination.

Canada’s High Commissioner to Trinidad and Tobago, Michael Callan, emphasized the strength of the relationship between the two countries, noting that Trinidad and Tobago is Canada’s largest merchandise trading partner in CARICOM. He also pointed to the strong Caribbean community in Canada as an advantage for Trinidad and Tobago exporters.

“You are planting seeds now that I know will bear fruit over the coming weeks and years,” Callan told delegates, revealing plans for a reciprocal Canadian trade delegation to Trinidad and Tobago.

The evening ultimately reflected the mission’s broader message: Canada and Trinidad and Tobago already share deep historical and community ties, but both sides see considerable room to transform those relationships into new trade, investment and business opportunities.

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