MEETING TO DISCUSS PLANS AND STRATEGIES FOR NDC ELECTION VICTORY

St. George, May 20, 2008 -- The first-ever official visit to Montreal last November by a delegation from Grenada's main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) is bearing positive results with an invitation to the party to return to the Canadian city.

Last year's delegation to Montreal was headed by Honourable Tillman Thomas, Leader of the NDC and of the Official Opposition in the Parliament of Grenada, Carriacou and Petit Martinique.

Thomas, who was accompanied by Deputy NDC Leader Senator George Prime, and MP for St. George South, Glynis Roberts, said at the time he was very impressed with the response of the Grenadian community in Montreal to the visit by the National Democratic Congress and to the party's message.

Over the past six months, several Grenadian-Canadians in Montreal have been holding discussions on ways of assisting the NDC, which is preparing for general elections.

Most objective observers have given the NDC a better than even chance of ousting the New National Party, which has been in office for more than 12 years.  An NDC win, and the re-election of Thomas to his St. Patrick East constituency, will make him the first person from the parish of St. Patrick to become Prime Minister of Grenada.

The NDC has accepted the invitation of a second official weekend visit to Montreal.  The weekend will involve a series of activities on May 24 and 25, including the formal launch of a Montreal Support Group of the National Democratic Congress.  Representatives from other support groups in Canada and the United States are expected to participate in the activities.

"With NDC supporters from across North America gathering here in Montreal, it will provide an ideal opportunity for us to meet and discuss plans and strategies for helping the party in Grenada,'' said June Maitland-Fuelscher, chairperson of the Montreal Support Group.

"As patriotic Grenadians living abroad,'' Maitland-Fuelscher added, "we felt ashamed of the never ending spate of scandals and maladministration by the present NNP regime in Grenada.''

The NDC has chosen General Secretary Peter David to represent the party at the two-day Montreal event.

David, the NDC's spokesperson on Foreign Affairs and the MP for the Town of St. George, will deliver the keynote address at the official launch of the Montreal Support Group on Sunday, May 25.

An attorney-at-law by profession, and one of the most respected and popular politicians in Grenada, David was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2003.  He is one of seven NDC MPs in the 15-seat Parliament.

David has promised that under an NDC government, ongoing efforts will be made to have Grenadians abroad play an integral role in national development.  He says one of the initiatives of the NDC will be the establishment of a Department of Diaspora Affairs within the Foreign Ministry.

On the Saturday evening before his address at the support group launch, David will attend a cultural show and dance, featuring Grenadian artistes.