Canada Warns Nationals About Travel To Guyana

News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Weds. March 11, 2020: As several CARICOM leaders arrive in Guyana today to help broker a peace deal and the acting Chief Justice gets ready to rule on how the country’s elections commission should proceed in declaring the winner of the 2020 elections, Canada is warning its nationals about travel to the country.

Canada says nationals should “exercise a high degree of caution” if travelling to Guyana due to “demonstrations (that) have been taking place throughout the country following the results of the elections held on March 2, 2020.”

The Canadian travel advisory also warn that “there have been sporadic outbreaks of violence across Georgetown and eastern regions of Guyana.” The advisory was current as of last night.

It comes as US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, revealed on Twitter that he spoke today with Canada’s Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland on support for democratic transition in Guyana, and the importance of continued strong OAS leadership on democracy and human rights.

Freeland has refrained from making any public statements on Twitter about Guyana even as Guyanese in Canada protested outside City Hall in Toronto Sunday and several took to Twitter to urge PM Trudeau to intervene and “help Guyana.”

Among them was Menon Dwarka who tweeted: “@JustinTrudeau Can I call on your support to question the results of the recent Guyanese election? There are over 100,000 Guyanese living in Canada, and it would really help the people back home if we could make them feel the world is watching.”

CARICOM MEETING

Barbados Prime Minister and Chair of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), Mia Amor Mottley, will lead a delegation of regional Prime Ministers on a special two-day mission to Guyana, starting today, March 11.

She will be joined by Prime Ministers Roosevelt Skerrit of Dominica, Ralph Gonsalves of St Vincent and the Grenadines and Keith Mitchell of Grenada.

They are set to meet with both the caretaker President, David Granger, of the A Partnership For National Unity + Alliance For Change, (APNU/AFC) as well as leaders of the Peoples Progressive Party/Civic and representatives of the Commonwealth, Organization of American States, European Union and Carter Centre observer missions that were in the country to monitor the conduct of the elections.

Guyanese voters are still awaiting official results of the March 2nd elections.