Leader of Team Unity the Opposition coalition of St Kitts and Nevis Dr Timothy S. Harris has described as a fall from grace the loss of visa-free access to Canada by citizens of the island nation and its restoration would be a priority once elected to government. Photo: VINO

St Kitts and Nevis. Photo: Destination 360

He was speaking to members of the media at a press conference held on Saturday December 6, 2014 at the Save the Seed Energy Centre, Duff's Bottom, Tortola, where he spoke at length about the continued abuses of St Kitts and Nevis' Citizenship by Investment Programme. 

“We have said that the relationship with Canada is our number one foreign affairs priority and so within hours of our designating someone as the Minister of Foreign Affairs we expect that he would lead a delegation to Canada to speak with his counterpart to get a clearer understanding, because not all the things on diplomacy they put on paper. A lot more sometimes is hidden because they could expose other people,” he said. 

“We pledge to do all within our power to right the wrongs, because we would not be part of any Government that consciously takes action that jeopardizes the safety and security of citizens of any other country,” he said, saying that he will also seek the assurance from the Canadians that once St Kitts and Nevis satisfies the conditions they will be once again bestowed the privilege of visa-free entry to Canada. 

Further, Dr Harris accused the Dr Denzil L. Douglas administration of St Kitts and Nevis of failing to adhere to democratic principles by refusing to place monies earned from that country's Citizenship by Investment Programme into the Consolidated Fund. 

"The name of St Kitts and Nevis is being tarnished not only by the failure of the administration to abide by the democratic norms. You might have heard that Canada on November 22, 2014 determined that the cherished and prestigious position which holders of St Kitts and Nevis passport held up to that day where we had visa-free access to Canada, that that had been withdrawn. Now we must sadly join the line of nearly 140 countries who had to apply for visa before entering into Canada,” he said. 

“That has created a whole double whammy for citizens of St Kitts. Any diminution of the good name and prestige of the country affects all of its citizens. But most importantly was the finding of the Canadian Government that our passports were in the hands of terrorists,” he said. 

He said that this finding did not surprise them too much as on May 20, 2014 the United States Government issued an advisory with regard to the Citizenship by Investment Programme where they said that ‘illicit actors’ were taking advantage of the St Kitts and Nevis passports.

“Not only were they buying them up, where they are available at a cost of $400,000 investment in property or $200,000 investment in a private foundation, they were all upon receiving their citizenship applying to have their name changed,” he said. 

“So an Iranian who is barred from entering Canada and the US will suddenly go by an English name…and these situations created a challenge for identity management. As a result, passports issued from about July 2012 are being recalled,” he said. 

“18,000 passports are to be recalled due to the recklessness of the Douglas administration. And the thing is he doesn’t know in whose hands they are,” said Dr Harris. “What we do know is that 18,000 passports represent more than half the population of St Kitts and Nevis. How within two years you could issue passports to more than half your population?” he asked. 

“The passports are in the hands of Iranians, many of them prohibited from entering into Canada and the US. They are into the hands of people from Libya and Afghanistan and all those far out countries we never knew until [Dr Douglas] introduced them to us. So we have a real challenge in terms of the democracy,” said Dr Harris.