Canada Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird was in Santo Domingo yesterday, 21 February, winding up a five-country tour to Latin America. The Latin American tour drew attention because it was a Canadian foreign affairs minister’s first visit to Cuba in 15 years. The tour included stops in Mexico, Peru and Panama, and would have included Venezuela, but was postponed after the Hugo Chavez government found it to be too delicate a moment with the return of President Chavez.
In Santo Domingo, Baird met with President Danilo Medina at the presidential palace. The Medina government is pushing for a revision of the contract signed with Barrick Gold, seeking more revenue for the government. The contract was fast-tracked through Congress by the Leonel Fernandez PLD-government and most of the legislators are still in their posts. The same president of the Chamber of Deputies, Abel Martinez is now pressuring for a review of the 2009 contract. As reported, Baird and Medina met for almost an hour behind closed doors but no statement on the meeting was released.
Canada is pursuing a free trade agreement with the Dominican Republic. Canadian investment in the DR is estimated at US$4 billion, and an estimated 700,000 Canadian tourists visit every year.