Finland: First impressions

The Canadian Embassy in Helsinki supports many initiates in the social, cultural, and educational areas that build and strengthen Finnish and Canadian ties. Cooperation between the Finnish-Canadian Society and the Embassy is strong and the momentum is growing.

I was delighted that the newly appointed Ambassador of Canada to Finland, Ms. Adele K. Dion, invited me to a private luncheon in order to hear more about the Society, to exchange ideas, and of course, for me to learn about the new Ambassador.

Strengthening ties

Ms. Dion arrived in Helsinki on October 1, 2001 and presented her Letters of Credence to President Tarja Halonen on October 4th. The Ambassador made her first public appearance during a special reception hosted after an eventful musical evening that featured the renowned Canadian pianist, Angela Hewitt. Ambassador Dion had this to say to the crowd of invited Finnish and Canadian guests:

"I consider it a privilege and an honour to have this opportunity to represent Canada in Finland. I hope to continue expanding the strong ties and shared interests that exist between our two countries on all levels –  cultural, academic, trade and political."

Drawing from experience

Prior to her nomination as Ambassador to Finland, Ms. Dion was Director of Human Rights, Humanitarian Affairs and International Women's Equality at the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, in Ottawa. As Director, she was responsible for Canada's participation in all United Nations human rights meetings and conferences, as well as UN deliberations on women's equality, children and youth, humanitarian assistance, and refugee questions.

Impressions

When asked about her impressions of Finns, Ms. Dion remarked about the underlying commonalities, and attributed it to shared interests, common values, and even similarities in climate and geography. In general, Ms. Dion stressed that Canadian delegations always work closely with their counterparts from Finland and the EU.

"Canada and Finland share the same objectives at the United Nations and work together to move our common agenda forward. As a result of many hours of shared experiences with Finnish diplomatic colleagues, I have a great deal of respect for their dedication and professionalism. I look forward to expanding my contacts with representatives of government, parliament, academia and the judiciary on social policy, human rights and democratic governance as well as our mutual interests in defence, security policy and peacekeeping."

Other areas of focus

As a former Assistant to Dr. Sylvia Ostry, Canadian Deputy Minister (Retired) for International Trade and Personal Representative of the Prime Minister for G8 Economic Summits, Ambassador Dion retains a keen interest in trade and economic issues.

"I also intend to promote Canada's trade and economic agenda here in Finland, with both private and public sector interlocutors. Promoting Finnish investments in and business linkages with Canada will be a major priority, as it was for my predecessor."

Besides work...

When asked about the things that she and her husband were looking forward to seeing and doing while in Finland, Ms. Dion said that she plans follow the experienced advice of the former Ambassador, Mr. Craig McDonald, to not take holidays away from Finland during the summer months, to frequent places in Lapland no matter what time of year, to visit many cities and meet people throughout Finland, and to go sailing in the Åland archipelago.

Ambassador Dion, was born in northwestern Ontario and educated in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Her husband, Mr. Martin Andrew Nimmo, accompanies her to Finland. Mr.Nimmo is retired from the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs, and was born in Alberta.

By Dwayne Weleshcuk

Related links

• Canadian Embassy
• Department of
Foreign Affairs

December 01

• Alistair McLeod in Helsinki
• Living in a northern town

• A history of fellowship
• Chairman's update