Reflections on departure

The Ambassador of Canada to Finland, Craig T. MacDonald, provided Vaahteranlehti with some thoughts and reminisces about his sojourn in Finland before his scheduled departure in August.

"I will take away with me a profound sentiment about my time and experiences here, and the privilege to have represented Canada in Finland."

Shared interests

When asked about common ties and shared interests of
Canada and Finland, the ambassador first pointed out respect and affection for nature. He observed this care for nature while visiting Finnish friends at their summer 'retreats', invoking comparisons to his childhood holidays in Muskoka and Haliburton. A passion for ice hockey was also cited by the ambassador as a common tie!

"The hockey connection began with my first taxi ride in Helsinki, when the cab driver pointed out the then new Hartwall Arena ? the recent venue for the IIHF's World Championships. This, in turn, led to the usual animated and amiable discussion of hockey. There have been many subsequent opportunities to meet Canadian players and their warm and hospitable Finnish hosts. It was with particular satisfaction that a young Finnish player, as an outgrowth of appreciation of the visiting Upper Canada College team, was offered a two-year scholarship to study at UCC in Toronto."

Youth and education

"Education and youth ties have been a particular priority for me, in part because of the many shared values, but also because it is necessary to provide our youth with an accurate impression of each other's country. We organised a two-week visit to Canada for a representative of Finnish universities, mainly to increase awareness of the high quality of Canadian education opportunities, and to foster closer bilateral links. New arrangements with the Fulbright Center in Helsinki were made, which now offers Finnish students information and counselling on university study opportunities in Canada."

"Efforts are ongoing to establish a Canada-Finland Education Trust Fund to support student exchanges and other bilateral programs and to give support for Canadian Studies programs at various universities in Finland."

Business linkages

Has stimulating business links between Canada and Finland been high on the priorities?

"Certainly, promoting Finnish investments in and business linkages with Canada has been a major priority, both in my meetings with CEOs of Finnish companies and in our 'Business Outreach' events in various cities around the country. In these meetings and events, we seek to increase awareness of contemporary Canada."

"The shared cultural values also find resonance in the Finnish business community, which often speaks of the similarity of business outlook that they find in Canadian business contacts."

Political relations

Finland and Canada see eye-to-eye on many issues.

"Historic common priorities and engagement with international peacekeeping activities and current shared interests, in what is now called 'civilian crisis management', is something that concerns us all. There is a need to build up civilian governance capabilities and local infrastructure in conflict situations."

"We hold mutually-shared views on multilateral foreign policy issues, and on the critical role of the United Nations. New issues, such as those contained within the so-called 'Human Security Agenda', are of interest to both countries. Canadian Foreign Minister Lloyd Axworthy was so much admired here for his interest in raising new issues."

Final impressions

The ambassador will be leaving Finland with a very positive impression of his time here. One particular aspect he is impressed with is the ability of Finnish people to effectively communicate.

"The communication skills of Finns are excellent. They can express themselves clearly, and do it in many languages."

For the future, the ambassador hopes to see more ties and bridges between Canada and Finland.

"I would very much support more cultural links in the future, especially from the Canadian side."

By Dwayne Weleschuk