Climate change, drugs and human trafficking and money laundering are among the top priorities on the agenda of the newly appointed British High Commissioner to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean Victoria Dean.
Dean, who has been in Dominica for the first time since she became the high commissioner in November, arrived three days ago to present her credentials to the President of Dominica Charles A Savarin, in order for her to be fully accredited. A courtesy call was also made on the Prime Minister. She leaves the island today for her base in Barbados.
In an interview with DNO, Dean outlined some of her plans for the region. ”I want to use my time to continue to strengthen the UK and Dominica relationship,” she said, and added that, “I think that there are a lot of people to people contact.”
She said she is amazed at the Dominican diaspora in the UK, and “I know that there are a lot of Dominicans in the US and Canada, but there is still a very strong presence in the UK,” She said that already a strong basis for a relationship. “We need to focus on increasing that so I would like to see, more Dominicans coming to study in Britain. I would like to see more British firms, in particular, coming to invest here, especially as tourism expands and as your energy sector changes with the exciting opportunities around you.”
The British High Commissioner also said that they do a lot of government to government work on the security sector, where the UK has provided assistance and advice on everything from witness protection, to recording evidence, to providing dogs for sniffer units. All that, she said, is very practical frontline work, and “I hope that we can continue to do that because from where I sit, there is a very clear drugs trafficking, people trafficking and money laundering threat through the Caribbean. It affects Dominica and it affects the UK because we are all from the target market for those drugs being trafficked.”
She said she would also like to focus more on climate change. “I think when you come to somewhere like Dominica, you see it and feel it and understand what it means to be in a very small island developing state that is vulnerable to the threat of extreme weather. And you saw that indeed last month with the horrendous rains that caused an awful lot of damage. So I think wherever we can work with you in supporting that, that would be really important for a sustainable future,” Dean stated.
She also made mention of the beauty of the country. “Well it’s beautiful from the moment you get off the plane.” She said she had been made very welcome and noted that Dominicans are very proud of their country. She would like to return to get to know the country better and “understand a bit more about what makes people tick here and see what new or different opportunities there might be in the future that none of us have identified yet.”
DNO
I am very disappointed that you did not post my response to 4Cars’ outrageous comments regarding the returnees from England.
4Cars comments were deeply offensive to hard working Dominicans who reside in the UK. It iseems unfair that you did not post my non-offensive response.
Your action could be misconstrued as being bias!
4Cars
You are an ignoramus.
Yes, we do have to endure the freezing cold and all other pain and suffering in order to survive and most importantly to assist our friends and family in Dominica.
Returnees do not survive because of the continuing pain and suffering that they continue to receive when they return home to Dominica from those friends and family they have supported.
You are an ungrateful and avaricious lot of people as we contribute a great deal towards the prosperity of Dominica.
Think of the barrels we send home to Dominica, the contribution we make towards our relatives education, the employment we provide when we build homes , the holidays we provide for our family and friends.
I would like to expand this comment, however I am doubtful as to whether DNO would publish it!
Talk talk talk talk talk. We’re all very good at talking, making speeches, saying prayers at the beginning of functions and patting ourselves on our backs. But when is there ever any action..?
The Dominica Government at the time really screwed Dominicans back in 1979 when they decided with their infinite wisidom that they would be better off going independent from Britain,a bad mistake, soon Dominica is going to become a Chinese Colony under the Chinese boot and ruled by China with Skerrit their pupppet as King.Dominicans better get ready to carry Chinese passports stamped PRC.
If only that government could have seen the future. To see that many D/cans were opposed to it. Consider the violence in that era. Dominica did not become a better place economically.
It is especially since Prime Minister Skerrit took office to today Dominica has progressed to this point. We hope with more to come.
May no one refute this. I have seen the difference in Dominica in comparison to bygone years. I am not blind and gullible.
The young ones who are in school must be diligent in their studies so that they will graduate and obtain a suitable paying job and one day be financially able to assist Dominica to become self-sufficient that it could pay off its debts to whoever loaned D/ca money that it will not be dependent on them and in debt to them.
Keep in mind taxes must be paid to Dominica’s revenue. A country cannot operate without nationals paying their fair share of taxes.
These young ones who will one day be adults, at least some of them, should be involved in politics to ensure that Dominica remains a Dominican-ruled country.
May God assist Dominica and those youths who are still students accordingly.
Based in Barbados she will be out of touch with what is happening in the other islands.
If she is serious and want to deliver she defenitly need to make it clear to the folks back in the UK their Barbados headquaters is not the best location to represent their interest. It’s like a 2014 version of the colonial days.
Do you think so? Not with Internet as well.
Barbados was chosen because it is like a little city and centrally-located. She may have to travel to other islands. Barbados has an international airport. Sorry to say, in this case, B/dos won.
How silly. England still letting us enter without visa. Try that for France or other EU countries. So England does not care about us? They still hearing our appeals in their court but we chose to go CCJ. Why? England does not have judges with black skin like us then, very good ones even with Caribbean roots. Sometimes our heads too big brother.
Yes ‘Simply The Truth’ you are correct about British Citizens here. The High Commission is responsible for British citizens and ironically there are more now than at the time of independence, because the returnees have increased the numbers. When many people in Dominica think of “British Citizens” they jump to the imagined “white English people”, but actually the majority of British citizens in Dominica are Dominican born and the British High Commission has responsibility for them.
Madam Commissioner I wish to welcome you to our Dominica and trust you will enjoy our beauty and tranquillity.
I read the list of priorities you have for the region as things to do. We seem to hear a lot of this drug and security thing, are these a British priority our concern for us here in the OECS?
Our priority of late Madam Commissioner is one of good governance, transparency, accountability etc , are you able to add this to your list.
I hope your next audience with this PM you would address this matter which is responsible for our rising poverty here in Dominica.
Dominican will continue to benefit from maintaining a good relationship with the UK!
Despite the radical changes in the National Health Service in the UK, healthcare in the UK is still the best in the world, . Returnees still have the option to seek free healthcare in the UK, this is a huge concession!
Also, although I believe that Dominica primary school education is superior to that of the UK,; further education in the UK is of the highest quality and Dominican students should take advantage of it.
Dominica still needs the UK!
england has done nothing for Dominica,pioneers of slavery and oppressors. We need compensation for the plunder and genocide of our kalinago people
We have our own skeletons too John. When we teach black history, as we should, we must also include the histories of people like king Kpengla, his father Tegbedu and especially his grandfather Agaja of the Oyo (Yoruba) empire and ask where there wealth came from.
These are just a few examples.That awful slavery history is not as simple as we like to think and as much as it pains me, it would not have been possible without the active participation of our own.
True say.
She is returning to see what makes Dominicans “tick.”
Fellow Dominicans be on your P’s and Q’s. 
From what I know of some, the British are relatively nice people. The first job I held in another province of Canada was British-owned. Many young British immigrants worked in that company. We were about the same age. I was the only West Indian who worked there.
In those days all of us socialized and at parties at each others homes. One of them was from Scotland. She, her husband (who worked elsewhere) and I became good friends. We had a lot of fun and outside of work. I did not experience any sort of discrimination.
Canadians were also employed. We celebrated birthdays, anniversaries and had bridal and baby showers.
We were served coffee in the morning at our desks and tea in the afternoon with a delicacy.
There was a lunchroom and at lunchtime we were given warm soup and bread. If we wished we brought our own lunch. The lady who served us was from Great Britain. This was her job to take care of that area.
Every pay day, a few older Canadians planned that a group of us, those who did not reside very far would go out for dinner at a hotel nearby where we worked. We shared the cost.
At Christmas the company had a Christmas party for staff which was held at a hotel. Those were the days my friends.
After a few years the company relocated to another part of Canada, no doubt for its convenience and cost-cutting. I had the option to relocate but I decided against it.
This was the best work establishment I worked in Canada. To this day I have not forgotten those employees. Being new to Canada, it was like a welcome wagon, having co-workers as they.
Our demeanor has much to do with it and how we treat others.
As a Dominican, coming from a disciplined home of all, I always did my utmost to get along with others, whatever their race, color or creed and ever respectful, working and living at peace. I always said Good Morning/Night and was friendly.
As human beings, does it mean they were perfect and to each other? By no means but we got along. I overlooked what was not important to be concerned about. Whatever I heard I kept quiet about it. This is one way of getting along with others.
Therefore, fellow Dominicans do not be apprehensive or suspicious of this British High Commissioner. I bet she will always be pleasant and friendly to everyone while exercising her duties appropriately. She deserves a good welcome.
Do not forget, she wants to see what makes you tick.
God bless!
hi there 4cars ,,if you are going to say something say something good ,England cold and the US..O O O you have not apply for your ticket,,
England is milder (less cold) than Canada or the U.S., the latter, in places where there is winter.
The old houses in England that are not centrally-heated will be cold if they do not have portable heaters and fireplaces. These were non-existent in those days; some houses may still be today.
I have heard a lot about that from those who resided in England especially in those days. How they suffered from indoor cold temperatures but they survived.
That’s right! England is an Ice box. Don’t you see that our people who came back from England only last a month? The speedy defrost that causing dat.
Charles Dickens is long dead good lady.
I dow need a ticket to sun bathe – i right here. They are coming to get some color to look like me.
How ignorant can you get…..get some brains please. People are too afraid to sunbathe because people dont respect tourist or their belongings…have you not been reading the news lately…people will be coming for carnival and I am afraid for them….HOWEVER Dominica is the best country in the world …..I am saying that and I am from the UK
4 Cars, England is not as it was in those days. It is more modernized. Frankly, I could not see how they could have built houses in a country which has winter for approximately nine months without central heating. Imagine the shock to D/cans and others from tropical countries.
A few more months, as three, to go before it gets even mild. At least the evenings are getting a bit brighter. This is the price to pay for residing in a cold climate. God help us! 
In the meantime we will settle for reading DNO D/can news until we make the trip home. 
I do think that some homes in Toronto in those days were the same. A friend of mine (a non-D/can) bought a house a few years ago in Ontario (not Toronto) which was not insulated. I think the Real Estate person did not inform the friend about the condition of the house. It was not properly inspected. The house was bought in summer. What a surprise when winter came to find out that it was so cold and the furnace was not working properly. It is a nice house but was not heated. Work had to be done on it, to get a new furnace.
I was invited there one weekend. It was colder indoors than outdoors and outdoor was extremely cold. The friend has since sold the house and purchased another one which is modern.
Send us some heat in Toronto. We are freezing.
Enjoy your Dominican heat.
You know how much U.K. pensions alone are contributing to our foreign exchange receipts? Those English Dominicans, returnees alone also put money into the country by building houses, having friends and families visiting them plus we get direct aid from the UK on top of their share of EU contributions. You know ,I admire these Dominicans that decided to come back home and are spending their money here. We should ask more of them to come. That does not cost us a penny.
How about those who are especially still residing in the UK? Some of them also financially contribute through their savings in D/can banks and also assist their relatives who are residing in D/ca. There is much more occurring in that area than you could ever fathom and are aware of.
What that have to do with the topic at hand, we talking about the High-Commissioner designate priorities for Dominica….
Are we that bad that we cannot even comment on what is actually written, wow what a sad day for us eh!!!!! SMDFH
Joe, what exactly are you trying to tell us?
In this case, you should know one thing leads to another as in conversations. It is not a bad idea at all. You get to learn something more to make you wiser.
Ya mann, It’s cold cold cold in England and the US – so they are in the Caribbean to enjoy the sun and fun. So England still care about us? really?
England did not give up Dominica. Dating back to some years ago, some D/can politicians decided to give up England. It was a bad idea. I do not think Dominica and its nationals benefitted and permanently so from this separation. Therefore, they do care and since there are thousands of Dominicans residing in Great Britain.
Those who reside in Canada and no doubt the US who previously resided in G.B. as well as those who returned to Dominica (if any) hold British passports. They are considered British citizens. There is still some degree of affiliation on both sides and will be forever.
Do not be surprised that there could still be an opportunity for Dominica to return to being a British colony. Life is full of surprises and when we least expect them.
You have deserted your sanity!
Do you know how long it took them to get that “British” passport? Donkey years. They say I was “British” wi! and I could not put my foot in England. British in name..ain’it!
I grew up on Dominica, was born there, when Dominica was still a British colony the country was much better off.
Again, you are misinformed. Those who left Dominica before independence traveled on a U.K. passport, that made specific reference to colonies (or dependencies). After our independence. Dominica issued its own passport, rendering the previous UK version invalid. However, the UK government made provision for those of us who so desired, to obtain a full U.K. passport free of charge within a reasonable time frame. I know of many Dominicans, who availed themselves of that opportunity and never regretted it. They did not stop anyone from obtaining the new national (green) passport of Dominica at the same time.
England is an imperialistic country, always as been and continues to be. Read history.
This woman, Dean, works for the U.N. and the globalist propaganda machine. The sun is in charge of all climate change, man has little to do with it. People need to take some astronomy classes to understand the relationship between the sun and all of the planets. Quit believing all of the climate change and global warming propaganda. That doesn’t mean that people have a right to pollute eventhough the major corporations do most of the polluting and then try to pass on the blame.
Asinine and ignorant comment that does not help Dominica at all.
Shut up “Anonymous!” these are all facts.
I suppose you are helping Dominica and with your type of comment.
