Harper is expected to discuss a range of other issues, including the global economic crisis and Canada's assistance in the implementation of the Justice Reform Programme.
Free-trade talks with the Canadians have been on hold since October last year when Canada requested that the first round of talks be rescheduled because the country was having a general election at the time. However, according to a release from Jamaica House, that issue will top the agenda during this visit.
It is, however, not clear what is the position of the Bruce Golding administration on the talks as Kenneth Baugh, deputy prime minister and minister of foreign affairs and foreign trade, expressed concerns about the upcoming free-trade agreement talks when he visited Canada last month.
According to a release from the Jamaica Information Service, Baugh said opening up trade with Canada would be detrimental to Jamaica unless a development component was included.
"We are small countries and we have to be careful how we enter into free-trade agreements. What would make a big difference is technology transfer," Baugh said to Canada's Minister of International Cooperation, Beverley Oda, with whom he met.
Baugh told Minister Oda that the transfer of technologies from Canada to Jamaica would assist Jamaica in building capacities for processing, marketing, sorting, grading and packaging foods.
The region trades with Canada under CaribCan, through which a majority of Caribbean goods enter Canada duty free. This is, however, a non-reciprocal agreement, which means Canadian goods entering the region do not receive the same treatment. But under World Trade Organisation rules, such non-reciprocal preferential agreements require a waiver, which for CaribCan, has been extended to 2011.
It is in this context the region is about to enter a new arrangement with the North Americans.
Olivia Grange, minister of youth, sports and culture, yesterday met with members of the Jamaican Diaspora who are part of Prime Minister Harper's delegation to Jamaica.
The group, which arrived in advance of Harper, is being led by President of the Jamaican Diaspora Association, Sharon Abrahams. Members of the diaspora associa-tion said that they wanted to pursue youth and cultural matters and to help promote Jamaica-Canada relations.
dionne.rose@gleanerjm.com
According to the latest data from Statistics Canada, bilateral merchandise trade with Jamaica in 2008 reached $521.3 million.
Merchandise imports from Canada totalled $193.7 million. These included cereals, fish and seafood, pharmaceutical products, electrical and electronic equipment, and meat.
Exports to Canada totalled $327.6 million in 2008 and these included inorganic chemicals, beverages, vegetables, preserved food, fruits and nuts, and knit apparel.