Trade Policy Seminar for Parliamentarians need follow up action says Dr. Harris

Dr the Hon Timothy Harris

ZIZ News…Dec. 9, 2010 – Dr the Hon Timothy Harris, Senior Minister and Minister of International Trade, Industry, Commerce, Consumer Affairs, Agriculture, Marine Resources, Cooperatives and Constituency Empowerment, has commended the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association and Commonwealth Secretariat for hosting the November 25-26, 2010, Trade Policy Seminar for Regional Parliamentarians. “The two day event was crystallized for Members of Parliament on both government and the opposition side of the house that they have an important obligation to perform in trade negotiations. Beyond that it has offered us prescriptions on how Parliament can improve oversight and accountability on trade matters.

I welcome the prescriptions and I hope that on at least one of them i.e the setting up of a Parliamentary Select Committee on Trade we can have movement by next year”. For me as a Minister of International Trade, I can see value and worth of an appropriately informed Parliament aiding and supporting our trade policy and negotiations. It will provide opportunities for better guidance and national support for our negotiators” Senior Minister Harris said.

Dr Harris presided over two sessions of the seven sessions agenda, gave the keynote address at the Opening Ceremony. Minister Harris said that he learnt a lot from the discussions from Members of Parliament as well as from the facilitators and discussants. Parliamentarians came from Trinidad and Tobago, St Lucia, Jamaica, Barbados, Guyana, Belize, Antigua, and St Kitts and Nevis.

The Opening Ceremony was attended by the Governor General, Sir Cuthbert Sebastian, Deputy Prime Minister, Hon Sam Condor, Hon Vance Amory, Hon Eugene Hamilton, Hon Marjorie Morton of the Nevis Island Assembly and Senators Richard Skerritt and Vincent Byron.