PM’s Greetings on the occasion of the first Grenada Day in Toronto

Greetings from the “Spice Isle,” one of the most serene, friendly, and naturally beautiful countries on this magnificent planet… And if anyone happens to get home-sick or curious of that fact, you are welcome to visit or commune with us at any time.

Fellow Grenadians, Friends and well-wishers, on behalf of the Government and People of Grenada I commend the Consul General, the Spice Isle Association, the Grenada Association of Toronto, the GBSS Alumni Association, and the Carriacou Association of Ontario on the auspicious occasion of the first “Grenada Day” in Toronto.

A Grenada Day anywhere is a Grenada Day everywhere so we at home join you in celebration. It is always a remarkable and joyous occasion when the Grenadian family comes together in love and unity to exchange notes and reminisce in the name of our blessed homeland.

The idea of using the event as a vehicle to broaden relations that includes other community partners is a novel idea that I wish other Grenadian organizations abroad will emulate. Permit me to congratulate the Toronto Police and Firefighters for their support and thank them for their selfless service that provides the care and protection of our nationals and entire community as a whole.

With God’s willingness and your desire, I hope to join you in celebration at the next event. Your invaluable role as Ambassadors is priceless and goes a long way in promoting our culture that can only continue to attract interest in our beautiful country and tourism product.

I cannot refrain from continuing to thank all those who contributed during our time of greatest need. Hurricanes Ivan and Emily dealt a devastating blow to us and though we have made remarkable strides in recovery there is still work to be done. With help from friendly Governments and with the tireless work and dedication by Grenadians and volunteers from the region we were able to turn things around.

We have been blessed in being able to build back better. We encourage public-private sector partnerships. We have provided many initiatives that will facilitate continued economic growth; along with new incentives for an improved and more flexible investment climate. I encourage you to take full advantage of the opportunities presented. Grenada is well positioned to achieve significant growth.

We have many major investment projects on stream and many more soon to come – such as the Port Louis, Mt. Hartman-Hog Island, and Ft. Juedy projects (St. George’s area), the Levera-Bathway Hotel Development project (St. Patrick’s area), the Backolet Bay project (St. David’s area), the Black Bay project (St. John’s area), the Grand Bacolet project (St. Andrew’s area), the Mt. Edgecombe project (St. Mark’s area) and others too numerous to mention. As you may have noticed, every parish is in consideration for major development.

The preparation for Cricket World Cup 2007, allowed us to leap-frog our infrastructural development by five (5) years. The part our people played in cleaning and beautifying their communities was something to behold. I can say with assurance, we did an excellent job in welcoming the World to the “Spice of the Caribbean.”

There was resounding praise for our special brand of hospitality, our development, and best of all, the unmatched beauty of our blessed country. You would have loved to hear the complimentary remarks and praise heaped on Grenada from viewers abroad, players, officials, visitors as well as nationals. This is extremely encouraging as we steadfastly continue to deliver on our developmental Master Plan.

We succeeded in convincing the international community that Grenada is indeed back in business, serious business. Our ability to successfully host this magnificent world-class event is further testament of that fact as Grenada emerged a Winner.

Fellow Grenadians, Friends and well-wishers, the major legacy coming out of our World Cup experience is our ability to achieve despite the tremendous odds and criticisms. It is encouraging to know that when confronted with challenges we as a people possess the capacity even though it has stretched and strained us to bind together for the common good. This was really an occasion when Grenadians proudly stood up in the eyes of the world and were counted as we made a good account of ourselves.

A national investment strategy has been developed that is attracting more bona fide investors and work is underway to modernize the regulations in this regard. This and other developments are serving to facilitate private sector investment which is so important in enhancing growth and revenue for our country.

Over the years, Organizations like yours have provided a significant source of inspiration. Your continued contribution has to be credited for the progress we have achieved in realizing our vision for a peaceful, healthy, educated, productive and prosperous Nation.

We have made considerable progress in revising outdated policies and developing new strategies. We are in open competition in aggressively competitive markets. My Government will continue to advocate and broaden its scope of operations in this dynamic global market. We have had to adjust to global changes fueled by rapid technological advancements.

To date, we have spent well over 86 million dollars building and repairing homes. We have spent over 82 million dollars on school rehabilitation. Over 60 million dollars have been spent on community centres, health centres, police stations and public buildings. One million dollars have been spent resuscitating and revitalizing our Agriculture and Fisheries Industries. We are now spending over $30 million on the construction of the Second Phase of the General Hospital.

We have made significant advancements in rebuilding the Nation’s infrastructure, public buildings, police stations, schools, medical facilities, agriculture and manufacturing sectors, tourism industry, and houses for the most vulnerable families.

This Government recognizes the importance of Health Care. Our mission is to promote and provide health services that are appropriate, accessible, equitable and sustainable, utilizing suitably qualified and motivated staff committed to excellence and professionalism. Also, we aim to encourage the improvement, protection, maintenance and preservation of our fragile ecosystem on a sustainable basis.

In gearing up for our expanding economy and the imminence of CSME, this Government has targeted a Work Force Training & Development Initiative. We are looking at ways to train and develop a more dynamic and resilient work force to meet the demands for skills at all levels. This proactive approach will best serve the demands as well as further develop and broaden the skill (set) base of our human resource.

Manual skills, technical skills, and managerial skills will be in great demand and we must prepare our people for this eventuality. A skilled and adaptable labour force stands out as an indispensable requirement for continued improvements in productivity and the application of modern technology. Moreover, a pool of skilled and adaptable workers is a major asset in attracting further investments and firm security for the growth of family incomes. Additionally, this access to learning will empower more Grenadians to participate fully in a Knowledge-based economy and society, in keeping with Government’s Millennium vision.

We continue to empower our young people through our many youth driven activities such as the Imani programme, the Grenada Youth Enterprise Initiative, the Parenting programme etc. We also continue to develop new and dynamic ways to efficiently deal with the issue of deviant behaviour by our youth.

Fellow Grenadians, the challenges before us are of an ongoing nature, and there is still much to be done…but you can rest assured that Grenada is in good and capable hands. It is our hope that you transmit the good news to our extended family and friends.

I like to take this opportunity to thank all the Grenadians and friends of Grenada for making this celebration a success and to know that Grenada is in your focus. I wish to kindly remind you that Grenada’s Carnival is only three weeks after this event so take advantage of a Win-Win situation. Come on down and celebrate Carnival with us while you get to enjoy the best hospitality and accommodation on our island – the jewel of the Caribbean.

Please keep up the good work as I am extremely proud of your initiatives. Let us continue the challenge of moving this blessed country forward.

May the good Lord guide and keep you all.