NIA CHARLESTOWN NEVIS (November 14, 2025) - Premier the Honourable Mark Brantley and Minister of Labour in the Nevis Island Administration, the Honourable Spencer Brand, welcomed a large delegation from the Canada-Caribbean Seasonal Agricultural Workers Programme (CCSAWP) Annual Review Meeting, who spent Friday, November 14, exploring the island of Nevis.
The delegates toured the Nevisian Heritage Village, where they were entertained by student Masqueraders and drummers, and sampled traditional stone oven-baked hot bread and butter.
Premier Brantley and Honourable Brand met with His Excellency Samuel Berridge, High Commissioner for St. Kitts and Nevis to Canada, representatives of the Canadian government, Labour Ministers Honourable Donald Williams of Jamaica, Honourable Claudette Joseph of Grenada, and Honourable Daren Pinard of Dominica, as well as representatives from Canada’s Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP), Canadian farm owners, and Olaf Fontenelle, Head of the Eastern Caribbean Liaison Service (ECLS) of the OECS Commission.
Minister Brand said, “We are happy to have them on the island of Nevis where they can relax, take in some of our culture, and visit some of our restaurants to enjoy Nevisian cuisine. I hope they continue to enjoy the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis and that the meetings they have been engaging in over the past few days have been successful as we continue to develop this partnership with our friends in Canada.”
The Seasonal Agricultural Workers Programme has been a cornerstone of Canada-Caribbean cooperation for almost sixty years, providing thousands of Caribbean workers with meaningful opportunities in Canada’s agricultural sector, including persons from St. Kitts and Nevis.
High Commissioner Berridge highlighted the programme’s benefits, noting that the Commission’s role was to facilitate the symbiotic relationship between Canada and St. Kitts and Nevis, helping to expose as many people in the Federation as possible to the programme so they could have the opportunity to work in Canada, while also assisting the Canadian government in sourcing capable workers from the islands.
He added that a number of delegates had brought their families and would be spending several days vacationing in Nevis.
Steven West of Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) commented, “Caribbean workers make an invaluable contribution to Canadian Agriculture and Canadian food security. We’re very happy to work with Caribbean countries and it was a pleasure to have engaged in productive discussions and progressive thinking on how to continue to manage this programme for the benefit of Canadian Agriculture as well as Caribbean workers and their countries.”
Delegates also enjoyed visits to Hydro Gardens in Cades Bay, Bath Hot Springs, and Pinney’s Beach, rounding out a day of culture, relaxation, and exploration in Nevis.
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