History - The Bahamas High Commission

HISTORY OF THE HIGH COMMISSION

The High Commission for the Commonwealth of The Bahamas has been operating in Canada since 1983, after years of non-resident representation by the Ambassador in Washington. The High Commissioners also served as the Permanent Representative for the Commonwealth of The Bahamas to the International Civil Aviation Organization, with headquarters in Montreal, Canada. In 2016, two diplomatic officers, in the persons of Mrs. Roselyn Dorsett-Horton, Deputy High Commissioner, and Ms. Marjorie Julien, Second Secretary/Vice Consul, of the High Commission were appointed as Alternate Permanent Representative of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas to the International Civil Aviation Authority (ICAO).

PAST HIGH COMMISSIONERS

Dr. Calsey W. Johnson

Dr. Calsey Johnson was born in Long Island in The Bahamas. He worked at the Public Treasury Audit Department for some time before starting his career as a news reporter in 1959. He rose through the rank in the media industry to become the Acting News Editor in 1966 and was appointed the News Director after completing a program at Ryerson Polytechnical Institute in Toronto, Canada, in 1971. He finally became the General Manager of the Broadcasting Corporation in 1974. For his political career, he was appointed to the Senate in 1992, by the late Prime Minister Sir Lynden Pindling and served until 1998. Dr. Johnson was appointed the High Commissioner to Canada in 2013, where he served faithfully until the end of his tour of duty in December 2016.

Mr. Michael D. Smith

Mr. Michael Douglas Smith was born November 30, 1948 in Nassau, New Providence. Before his appointment as High Commissioner in Canada, he served as Parliamentary Secretary in the Office of The Prime Minister of The Bahamas and the Ministry of Tourism concentrating on communication in both Ministries. Mr. Smith Served for a decade as the Member of Parliament for South Beach constituency, having been elected to the Honourable House of Assembly in 1992, and again in 1997. He served as Deputy Speaker of The House from 1997-1999. Mr. Michael Douglas Smith was appointed the new High Commissioner for the Commonwealth of The Bahamas to Canada in 2008.

Mr. Philip P. Smith

Mr. Philip Patric Smith was born on July 8th 1946 in Exuma, Bahamas. He was appointed by the Government of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas to be High Commissioner to Canada in 2003. During his tenure, he appeared in the National Register’s Who’s Who in Executives and Professional Canadian Business Achiever’s Section of the 2005-2006 Edition.

Mr. Harcourt L. Turnquest

Mr. Harcourt Lowell Turnquest was born in Long Island, Bahamas on June 04 1943. He began his appointment as High Commissioner for The Bahamas in Canada in 2000. Before serving as High Commissioner, he acted as an Ambassador and Permanent Representative of The Bahamas to the United Nations in New York. His first appointment in government was in 1960, when he became a special student teacher. In 1968, he was appointed an assistant teacher and was appointed an education officer in the Ministry of Education and Culture in 1969. In 1973, he was transferred to the Ministry of Foreign affairs where he was appointed assistant secretary until he was promoted to Permanent Secretary in 1984. In 1994, he took up appointment as The Bahamas’ Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York. While there, he was elected vice-president of the 53rd Session of the U.N. General Assembly. He returned to The Bahamas in 1997, to serve as Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Economic Development and in 1998 was appointed Permanent Secretary in the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Security, where he served until 2000.

Mrs. Missouri Sherman-Peter

Mrs. Missouri Sherman-Peter was born December 22 1947 in Nassau, New Providence. She was appointed as the High Commissioner for the Commonwealth of The Bahamas to Canada in 1997. In April, 1997, she concluded a three year secondment as Assistant Director, Political Affairs Division, at the Commonwealth Secretariat in London. She also represented the Commonwealth Secretariat in international fora such as the United Nations, the Caribbean Community, the Non –Aligned Movement and UNESCO. She began her diplomatic career in 1975 as the Administrative Officer in the Permanent Mission of The Bahamas to the United Nations. She later served as Consul General of The Bahamas at New York (1984-1988 and Minister Counsellor, Deputy Permanent Representative of The Bahamas to the United Nations (1977-1994).

Mr. Luther E. Smith

Mr. Luther Emerson Smith, born on October 27, 1948 in Crooked Island, Bahamas, was appointed as High Commissioner of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas to Canada in 1994. Before being appointed High Commissioner, Mr. Smith served in the Ministry of Finance and was appointed Permanent Secretary in the Ministries of Health, Public Works and Education. He was also a Deputy Secretary in the Cabinet Office. During his career, he served two stints in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and was appointed Permanent Secretary in the Cabinet Office and the Office of the Attorney-General.

Mr. Idris G. Reid

Mr. Idris Reid was born in Nassau Bahamas and began his career in the Public Service of The Bahamas in 1955. In 1982, he was appointed to the rank of Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Local Government. During this time he served as Delegate for The Bahamas to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. In 1986, he was appointed Chief of Protocol in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, after serving as Assistant Coordinator of the 1985 Commonwealth Heads of Government Secretariat. He was appointed High Commissioner to Canada in 1988.

Dr. Patricia Elaine Joan Rodgers

Dr. Rodgers was part of The Bahamas Delegate to United Nations Conference on Law of the Sea in 1974. Dr. Rodgers was a Counsellor and Consul, at The Bahamas Embassy in Washington, D.C. from 1978 to 1983, and an Alternate Representative to OAS from 1982 to 1983. She was an adviser to Bahamas Delegate, Annual General Meetings of World Bank and International Monetary Fund from 1978 to 1982. She became the Deputy High Commissioner (Acting High Commissioner) in Canada from 1983 to 1986, and the High Commissioner from 1986 to 1988. Dr. Patricia Rodgers served as the High Commissioner for the Commonwealth of The Bahamas to the United Kingdom from 1988 to 1992.