Skerrit hails freedom of movement as a dream come true

Dominica’s Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit has hailed the decision by Barbados, Belize, St Vincent and the Grenadines, and his country to facilitate the full freedom of movement for their nationals as a “dream come true”.

Speaking at the Barbados Labour Party’s (BLP) 86th Annual Conference at Queen’s Park on Sunday, Skerrit described the move as a historic step towards deepening regional unity and opportunity and a milestone long envisioned by Caribbean leaders and citizens.

“History has turned the page. Barbados, Dominica, St Vincent and the Grenadines and Belize have taken a step our parents dreamed about and our grandparents prayed about — full free movement among our four states,” Skerrit said.

He underscored the importance of the decision, not just as a policy, but as the region’s enduring desire for connection, progress, and dignity for its people.

“Not a speech in the world can equal what that means at the kitchen table; it means a Barbadian and a Dominican can live and work across each other’s shores with dignity, with rights, and with the promise of belonging.

“It means a young nurse can find a job where she is needed without asking a foreign capital for permission. It means a mason can answer opportunity with a plane ticket instead of a wish,” Skerrit contended.

The Dominican leader said this new stage of integration fulfilled decades of promises made under CARICOM and the Treaty of Chaguaramas.

“This is what our Caribbean forefathers and foremothers envisioned when they spoke of one region, one people, one destiny,” he said. “It is a dream come true for all of us who have believed that Caribbean integration is not a slogan, but a sacred responsibility.”

Skerrit praised Barbados, under the leadership of Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley, for helping to bring the initiative to fruition and used the opportunity to invite Barbadians to live and work in Dominica. “In Dominica, we are proud to be pioneers alongside Barbados,” he said.

“To every Barbadian here you are welcome; welcome to live, to work, to build a business, to raise a family, to bring your skills and your dreams to the Commonwealth of Dominica,” He maintained that unity and collaboration will define the region’s strength in the years ahead.

“Free movement, education, resilience, these are not attractive policy headings. They are opportunity engines, they mark skills and strategies, they let families choose work without abandoning home. They help a small business set across four markets without leaving the Caribbean for someone else’s continent,” Skerrit said.

“We are small on a map, yes, but together we are mighty, one labour force, one shared marketplace, one larger future for our people. This is not just freedom to move, this is freedom to improve.

“We move not to leave home, but to lift home and so let us all support the decision of the free movement of our people,” he added.

(LG)