Monday October 22nd 2012 On the afternoon of Sunday October 14th, over a hundred Grenadians and friends of Grenada in Montreal braved inclement weather in order to attend a reception in honor of the Leader of Her Majesty’s Opposition in Grenada, Dr. The Rt. Hon. Keith Mitchell. The evening’s activities began with a beautiful rendition of the National anthems of both Canada and Grenada, which were sung by local folk group, The Grenada Ensemble. From there Dr. Mitchell took center stage.
The focus of Dr. Mitchell’s presentation were matters close to the heart of every Grenadian, especially in recent times; the economic and political situation in the country. Dr. Mitchell remarked on what he perceived to be the shortsightedness and lack of vision of the current administration. He cited as examples, the discontinuation of many projects begun under the NNP administration as well as their inability to foster unity among fellow Grenadians. The Opposition Leader outlined his plans to rescue the economic situation in Grenada. He spoke passionately about bringing unity to the country and governing without hate and spite. The floor was then opened to questions.
The Montreal audience mirrored the concerns of the three-term Prime Minister and Opposition leader asking questions related to issues of economic and political relevance. One Grenadian National in the audience cited the global economic downturn as being a challenge to any elected government in Grenada. Dr. Mitchell’s response was that it was necessary for governments facing this crisis to find innovative ways of generating activity in the local economy and outlined some of his plans to rescue the economy. Another audience member urged Dr. Mitchell to encourage emphasis on improving the state of Agriculture in Grenada and to explore broader initiatives for encouraging the young people to go back to the land. In his closing remarks Dr. Mitchell reiterated his commitment to encouraging unity among Grenadians in all walks of life. He stressed the importance of the people of Grenada to work together to meet the challenges and therefore to have a successful outcome.
On Wednesday, October 17, 2012, a group of Grenadian businessmen in Montreal met with Dr. Mitchell to have a private discussion on the possibilities of investment in Grenada. This interesting dialogue gave way to the Opposition Leader stressing the importance of investment in the country. He reiterated that although poor management in the last four years has contributed to the rapid failing of the economy which has resulted in the decline of investment, the closure and downsizing of local businesses including the recent closure of La Source Hotel and Resort, the loss of hundreds of jobs and the large unemployment rate he still has hope for Grenada’s comeback. Many interesting ideas were put on the table for improving the tourism market, technology, Agriculture and exports for which Dr. Mitchell showed great desire.
At the end of the meeting the Opposition Leader thanked the prospective investors for their attendance and gave a glimmer of hope as the country moves forward after the upcoming election.