Press ReleaseMay 27, 2008No. 13/08 - BOD Delegates at the 38th Annual Meeting of the Caribbean Development Bank, being held in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, have been assured that the province's relationship with the Caribbean will be as important to Halifax's future as it has been to its past. This assurance came from both the Deputy Premier of the province, the Honourable Angus MacIsaac, who is also the Minister of Economic Development, and the Minister of Agriculture, the Honourable Brooke Taylor as they spoke on Monday night at a reception for the delegates. Deputy Premier MacIsaac said that Nova Scotia was a fitting location for the CDB Annual Meeting considering the longstanding mutual history and the "many strong ties" between the province and the Region. "From swapping resources like salt fish, lumber, sugar and rum, this trading relationship has evolved to include partnerships in Tourism, education and environmental protection. Together, with our expertise and shared resources, we can strengthen democratic governance, economic renewal, education and leadership, while building prosperity," MacIsaac said. The Agriculture Minister who said that the province is looking forward to future growth in trade opportunities, also indicated that it is looking at "joint venture possibilities" to import products from the Caribbean to Nova Scotia. "We look forward to future growth in trade opportunities, including the export of traditional and value-added products, the sharing of education and capacity in food production and processing, and investment in joint venture production. we also see opportunities to import horticultural products from the Region," Taylor said. He noted that there have been a number of trade missions between Nova Scotia to the Caribbean and these will continue as they present key opportunities for all parties to build on future business relationships. The host ended off the evening by assuring the CDB delegates that there is a continued commitment from the government of Nova Scotia to ensure that the important work towards the healthy and prosperous future of both regions is continued.