Canada, Caribbean bloc vow stronger bilateral ties at Ottawa summit

(Reuters) - Canada and the Caribbean's Caricom regional bloc on Thursday announced the launch of a "strategic partnership" encompassing closer bilateral ties on trade, development, finance, environment, healthcare and security.

"We can benefit tremendously from being with Canada," Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Keith Rowley said at closing remarks with Canada's Justin Trudeau in Ottawa, adding that the benefits are "not only in dollars and cents".

Rowley said Caricom could benefit from Canada's support in international forums and marketplaces, "influencing decisions which affect us," including what he called "arbitrary" decisions made in disrespect of Caribbean interests.

Caribbean small island states, many of which have high debt loads and are disproportionately affected by climate change, have called for easier access to international financing and for rich nations to follow up on pledges to fund climate change mitigation.

Trudeau said a visit was planned later this month regarding a Haitian political consensus on the deployment of a U.N.-ratified force, requested by Haiti's unelected leader a year ago, as violent gangs extend their control driving a humanitarian crisis that has pushed 200,000 from their homes.

"There has to be a willingness, clearly expressed and articulated by the Haitian political class that this is the right thing to do," Trudeau said.

This comes a day after a leading member of Haiti's democratic transition council was kidnapped, a common occurrence as local gangs amass large sums through ransom demands.

Canada has sanctioned 28 people in Haiti, many members of Haiti's political and business elite who have slammed the sanctions as lacking in evidence.

The United Sanctions earlier on Thursday renewed its sanctions regime against Haiti, which currently counts just one person, as Chinese and Haitian representatives urged faster action.

(Reporting by Sarah Morland; editing by Jonathan Oatis)