John Baird: Canada's freedom agenda - Diplomat Magazine

Di spatches|MICROSTATESSince independence, Saint Lucia has forged an economic base that consists of banking and of tourism. Shown here is Soufrière, a town on theWest Coast of Saint Lucia.Gzdavidwong9. Saint LuciaSt. LuciaVenezuela56The path to Brazil, where World Cup2014 takes place, is still a long shotfor the Canadian soccer team. However,one of the benefits of their qualificationefforts thus far was getting to playand winning on the lush, tropical islandof Saint Lucia in the eastern Caribbean.But while few Canadians regularly followtheir soccer team, it is likely that evenfewer could find Saint Lucia on a map.The island nation certainly deservesa closer look since its recent history andimmediate present highlight many of thecommon problems faced by many of theworld’s microstates. But this observationshould not obscure the genuine accomplishmentsof this Caribbean islandnation of some 162,000 residents. Most oftheir ancestors came to Saint Lucia againsttheir will, as African-born slaves, forcedto work in the sugarcane plantations thatmade Saint Lucia such a profitable andprized colonial possession during the 17thand 18th Centuries.It is, perhaps, no wonder then thatownership of Saint Lucia ping-pongedbetween France and the United Kingdom14 times before the latter became the island’sfinal colonial master in 1814. Thisrelationship formally ended in 1979, wellafter the major phase of decolonizationhad run its course. Since this occasion,Saint Lucia has forged an economic basethat consists of banking and of tourism— the country’s largest employer. Yes,this member of Commonwealth confrontssome inescapable economic realities,such as its dependence on foreign energysources and tourism dollars, which tend todry up during economic downturns. SaintLucia, nonetheless, possesses one of themost diversified economies in the region,as its government seeks ways to revive itsmanufacturing sector. It can also lay claimto literary prominence, as the birthplace ofDerek Walcott, who won the 1992 NobelPrize for Literature, among other honours.Indeed, Walcott is yet another reason whyCanadians would do well to learn a thingor two about Saint Lucia, as he taught atthe University of Alberta, in Edmonton,for a three-year engagement that endedlast autumn.WINTER 2012 | JAN-FEB-MAR