THUNDER BAY — A recent four-day tour of Finland left local MP Patty Hajdu appreciating the multiple connections between the Nordic nation and Canada.
The member for Thunder Bay-Superior North and minister of Indigenous Services visited Finland for four days last week.
In an interview Thursday, she said the primary goal was to strengthen ties between the two countries.
"Obviously, we have a rich history in northern Ontario of Finns who settled here over generations, and a rich Finnish culture all around us. But we also have intertwinement of industrial sectors, particularly forestry, so we were able to meet with a variety of different legislators, different ministers, and of course companies to talk about how we strengthen those relationships."
Hajdu noted that Canada's Davie Shipbuilding purchased a shipyard in Helsinki in 2023, "So that's pretty exciting. We have a very strong Canadian footprint in the middle of a very thriving sector of the Finnish economy."
Her meetings with government ministers, she said, included discussions about geopolitical changes around the globe.
"Finland is the newest NATO member. Canada was the first to endorse their membership. And of course they have seen the evolution of the US administration's stance on Russia, and they're actually quite concerned."
Hajdu's journey to northern Finland took her to the homeland of the country's Indigenous people, the Sami.
"They have their own parliament, and we talked about how it works, and the challenges that they have to get their messages through as leaders of the Sami to the Finnish parliament. It was really interesting, because of course, here in Canada we have diverse First Nations voices, we have an Assembly of First Nations that is also struggling in terms of representation," she said. "We have a number of treaty areas that feel not represented by the AFN."
Hajdu said that's an issue that First Nations people have to resolve themselves, but she was accompanied on the trip by Harold Calla, an expert on First Nations governance who was able to return home with information he'll be able to share with his colleagues.
She added that some Sami people have moved to urban centres, and that there is a "very live question" of who is Sami and who gets to determine that.
"It was something we talked about a lot because of course, with Canada's continued evolution, and generations of First Nations and Indigenous people, this is a very live conversation in Canada too."
Thunder Bay's connection to Finland, she said, came up frequently throughout the trip as she encountered people who had relatives or friends in the city.
"Almost every single person I talked to knew about Thunder Bay. How unusual is that in a large city across the ocean?"
Hajdu was glad to have the opportunity to make the trip, saying she's come to realize over her years as a politician that relationships are critically important.
"But they're actually from people to people...We see the threat from our largest trading partner – and up until now a strong ally – materialize right in front of our eyes. It's extremely important that we continue to strengthen and foster these relationships with other countries....This is the work that I think all Canadians are doing. It's amazing to watch Canadians, corporations, businesses look to ways that we can strengthen the resiliency of the Canadian economy by ensuring we strengthen our relationships."
With files from Leigh Nunan
