Manitoba first on Ambassador´s visits agenda

28.3.2006

This was the Ambassador’s first official visit to one of the Provinces in Canada. Manitoba came as a natural first choice since relations between Iceland and the different Icelandic settlements in the Province have remained solid for over 100 years and are still highly dynamic and productive. During the official part of the visit, Ambassador Markús Örn Antonsson and Mrs. Steinunn Ármannsdóttir were entertained at a luncheon in Government House in Winnipeg by The Honourable Lt. Governor John Harvard and Her Honour Lenore Berscheid, both of whom are of Icelandic ancestry.

During meetings with Ministers of the Manitoba government, the Ambassador had an opportunity to raise several topics of mutal interest, relating to Iceland-Canadian relations at present. These included informal talks with Premier Gary Doer, Minister of Education, Citizenship and Youth Peter Bjornson, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and Trade Scott Smith and Speaker of the Manitoba Legislative Assembly George Hickes.

Within the cultural field, exchanges of artists, scholars, athletes, youth and other visiting groups between Manitoba and Iceland are frequently arranged. Increased trade relations have also been on the agenda for a long time but with limited success. Icelandic business people are hopeful that a free trade agreement between Iceland and Canada, when finally concluded after years of negotiations, will open up new possibilities for the commercial sector in both countries.

In their conversations with the Ambassador, the Manitoba officials emphasized the tremendous contribution made by the Icelandic settlers and their descendants to Manitoban society and its evolution for more than 130 years.

One significant cornerstone is the Icelandic Library at the University of Manitoba where the guests were greeted by the University President, Emöke J.E. Szathmáry, the leadership of the Department of Icelandic Studies and the library management.

The Icelandic heritage was also clearly evident during visits to the original Icelandic settlement communities of Gimli and Arborg where the guests were invited to the Icelandic Heritage Museum in Gimli, the Bethel Home for seniors and the community center at Arborg. Addressing the people present, the Ambassador welcomed new initiatives taken by the Icelandic National League to enhance the human contacts between Iceland and Icelandic communities in Canada. He pointed out that visitors programs like the Snorri Exchange Program, organized both for students and people 30+ year old, were excellent examples of activities that bring the traditional bonds in Icelandic-Canadian relations onto a new horizon and broader levels of expansion.