In January of 2005, SACS held a very successful conference in Kingston, Jamaica . Although the gathering was small, participants came from Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago , Canada and the U.S. The theme of the conference was Canada-Caribbean connections, and 21 papers were presented, over two-and-a half days. The meetings opened with a delightful welcome reception at the Canadian High Commission on the evening of January 13, and a keynote address from High Commissioner Vallee, Canadian High Commission, Jamaica . On January 14, Dr. Vallee set the tone for the first morning's session, which focused on strong relationships between Canada and the Caribbean.

The first paper session, chaired by Robert Wright from Trent University, Canada, focused upon foreign affairs and international relations. Strong presentation were made by Vaughan A. Lewis, University of the West Indies on Canada - West Indies Relations: Middle Power-Small State Relations in the Post-1990s Period and Anselm Francis, University of the West Indies, on Canada's Peace-keeping Role in the CARICOM Region: Foreign Policy Implications. The third speaker in the panel, Mark Kirton, University of the West Indies ; he brought the panel to a conclusion with a fascinating discussion concerning Guyana-Canada Relations (1966-2005). Bryan Bertram from the Canadian High Commission served as discussant for the session and brought his own interesting ideas to the table.

After lunch, discussion turned more specifically to Canada-Cuba relations. In this very interesting session, participants explored a variety of political, historical and technological links connecting Canadian-Cuban issues. Lana Wylie, McMaster University , explored technology and Implications for Canadian-Cuban relations. Robert Wright, Department of History, Trent University, presented a fascinating historical analysis: Paddling to Havana: Pierre Trudeau, Fidel Castro and the Cold War, and Heather Nicol, University of West Georgia spoke about Canada, Cuba and the U.S.: A Historical and Contemporary Clash of Perspectives.

In the final panel of the day, Planning and Environmental Issues, Rupert Dobbin and Heather Nicol, both from the University of West Georgia, gave papers addressing contemporary environmental and social policy in Canada, focusing on its implications for Caribbean studies. Discussion followed concerning the applicability of Canadian environmental policies to a broader context.

On January 15, Zagros Madjd Sadjadi opened the morning session with a paper entitled Innis to Polanyi to Levitt and Best: Canadian influences on the Plantation Economy literature. This presentation was followed by a discussion of Caribbean and Canadian Experiences: Tertiary Education Leadership, Management and Development Outcomes in Ontario, British Columbia, Jamaica and Trinidad: 1995-2005, delivered by Bernadette E. Warner and Dennis J. Gayle, University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus. A lively discussion followed the presentation of these papers.

The final Saturday morning session was a discussion of literature and music with papers by Dr. Derrilyn Morrison, Macon State College, on Caribbean Impulse in Lilian Allen's Psychic Unrest and by Laurence Etling, Valdostra State University , on More Than Reggae: Caribbean Music in Canada . Both papers fit together well and stimulated interesting discussion of cultural events.

The afternoon was punctuated by a cultural program in which participants toured Kingston and visited a number of museums and tourist facilities. A fun and relaxing group dinner followed on the patio of the Jamaica Hilton Hotel.

The final day of the meetings, Sunday January 15, saw panels on cross-cultural issues and analysis, and issues concerning the teaching of Canadian Studies. In the first session UWI faculty Larry Powell and Rosemary Frey discussed their comparative cultural project in which Canada-Caribbean perspectives play an important role. This session was followed by one in which Mary Jane Harkins and Carolyn Nobes, both of the Distance Learning and Continuing Education Department, Mt St Vincent University, delivered their paper on An Exploration of Internationalization of Programs and Distance Learning; and Mark Patterson, Kennesaw State University, discussed his experiences in developing a Canadian Studies curriculum in the U.S. Mark's was the last paper of the conference, and the meetings were officially closed.

Conference participants discussed the potential for submitting papers from this conference to the newly published Southern Journal for Canadian Studies. We hope to have papers from this conference appear in Volume 2, which will appear later this year later this year.