Greater Toronto

By Adit Kumar

"I am willing to listen to you, to learn from you."
This is what His Excellency, Harry Narine Nawbatt, Guyana's new High Commissioner to Canada said on his first official 'meet and greet' the community meeting held in Toronto on April 20, 2011 in the party room of the Bonis Avenue complex in Scarborough. Nawbatt added, "I depend on you for all the help that I need and from what I have seen and heard this afternoon I know I can depend on that help whenever needed."
The High Commissioner said he is readily accessible to all and looks forward to working with the Guyanese community here.
Mr Nawbatt and his wife received a warm welcome from a wide cross section of the community that included representatives of several Guyanese community organizations. He joked and mingled freely with the crowd acknowledging that Toronto "is where the Guyanese community is located." He said he is not new to Canada as he had worked here for three weeks while he was attached to the Guyana Airways Corporation. He disclosed that he has already been invited to functions in Toronto and has already met some groups in Ottawa.
Mr Nawbatt acknowledged the work of several organizations here that help Guyana and extended gratitude to them. He said he was glad the contact has been maintained. He thanked his predecessor, Mr Rajnarine Singh and former Consul General, Mr. Danny Doobay for the good work they have done over the years. He also expressed gratitude to Acting Consul General, Mrs Sattie Sawh for organizing the event so that he could meet members of the community.
Prior to coming to Canada, Mr Nawbatt was stationed in Brazil as High Commissioner, from 2008. An accountant by profession, he held several government positions before joining the diplomatic mission. He had served as executive director of the Social Impact Amelioration Program (SIMAP) and project manager of the Poor Communities Support Services Project. He also had stints as Minister of Transport and Hydraulics and Minister of Housing and Water.