Interview With Barbados High Commission Sir Evelyn Greaves

Honorable Evelyn Greaves, High Commissioner of Barbados in Canada Second Left Photo By KMG -TAN

NCBAC (National Council of Barbadians in Canada) in conjunction with the local organization BCABC (Barbados Cultural Association of British Columbia) celebrated its 26th anniversary in Burnaby, British Columbia on May 21st – 24th, 2010.

The weekend of activities included workshops, a cultural show and a grand gala banquet at the Hilton Vancouver Metro Town Hotel. The guest speaker at the banquet was the Honorable David Thompson, Prime Minister of Barbados. The Afro News had the opportunity to speak with the Honorable Evelyn Greaves, High Commissioner of Barbados in Canada.

We asked the Honorable Evelyn Greaves how he viewed the outcome of the celebrated event:

“I am very impressed with the work of the contributors and very proud of what we were able to achieve.”

He added that there are many Barbadian contributors in Canada that have done a tremendous work in our society. Their works and profiles should be recognized and are being captured in a book that will be released in November 2010 in conjunction with the Barbados Independence Day. This book will feature the works of modern day professionals, a Neurological Surgeon that practices here in Vancouver, a top doctor in Cancer Research that works in Alberta, and a doctor that works in Toronto who discovered a cancer gene along with past contributors, Colonel Richard Clement Moody, the founder of Port Moody and Joe Fortes a legendary figure in the early history of Vancouver who today has a popular restaurant located in downtown Vancouver and a public library branch in his name.

The High Commissioner encouraged not only Barbadians but everyone to get a copy of the book, because not only will it be a record of contribution of Barbadians in building Canada, but it will also be a conductor of inspiration in which our youth and young Barbadians will see as great figures and role models in society.

Honorable Evelyn Greaves added that education is important and that Barbadians put a high emphasis on education. One of the guest speakers at the event said that “I don’t understand how a small country of Barbados could produce people of such quality”.

We also asked the High Commissioner what his view of Canadian Entrepreneurship is:

He responded that Tourism is a vital part of Barbados economy and growth is expected in this sector. The culture in Barbados is a rich commodity; however, this can’t be exported but serves as a great promotion tool to have people visit Barbados.

Barbados also provides countries like Canada, USA and England with a clean record for offshore investments and that their country is on a ‘white’ list for the country’s effort in clean energy and quality of conditions for laborers.

Lastly we asked for his advice for our youth:

The youth are our future. We have to give, show and inspire them with the values of victories that have been raised in Barbados. They need to recognize that they live in a world with so many cultures and conflicts that they will have to live with but they have to pay attention to a value system like education and health in order to make a mark in the world!