Firstly, I want to warmly congratulate Eleanor Reynolds and the staff of Celtic Canada on the launch of their new publication. This is a wonderful initiative and one which deserves support. I wish Celtic Canada the very best. I travel the length and breadth of this vast country and am always amazed at the extent of the Irish presence in every Province and town. I know Celtic Canada want to reflect that phenomenon.
This exciting development is happening as I come to the end of my posting as Irish Ambassador to Canada after 6 years in Ottawa. This was the longest period of any Irish Head of Mission here since John Hearn’s 10 years as High Commissioner from 1939-49.
It has been a wonderful experience and a privilege to serve. There is absolutely no point to holding a position of responsibility unless you can use that position to promote the common good. It is also a very privileged position and one which needs to be rotated regularly.
The Ireland I am heading back to is in very different circumstances than the one from whence I came in 2010. Then the country was struggling to recover from the banking and construction crash of 2007/8. My two priorities, at that time, were to secure as many visas as possible for young Irish people to enter the Canadian job market and secondly to work, in any way I could, towards restoring Ireland’s financial credibility.
In both areas, Canada was responsive – increasing the Irish quota on the IEC programme from 4,000 to 10,700. I worked closely with former Minister for Immigration and Multiculturalism Jason Kenney to give these young people the chance of a job in Canada. We also worked with the community to establish the Ireland Canada Immigration Centre in Toronto and also to support Irish communities working to assist these new immigrants in cities across Canada,. Today the demand in Ireland for Canadian visas has fallen dramatically but I hope that we can continue to see a steady flow of young people in both directions.
Canada, and especially the former Finance Minister Jim Flaherty, regularly spoke up for Ireland in international financial fora in the dark days on 2010. The interest rate on our sovereign bonds once passed 15% and today Ireland has actually managed to borrow at a negative interest rate. Canadian investment is flowing into Ireland while back in 2010 many investors were fearful of taking a risk in Ireland. Times have certainly changed.
The picture has also improved drastically in regard to connectivity between Ireland and Canada, with 5 cities in Canada now having direct flights to Dublin. I hope the days of getting stranded in Boston, Washington etc., on the return from Christmas visits are a thing of the past. Tourism Ireland and the community here have played an important role in this dramatic improvement.
The Irish Canadian community have been a wonderful welcoming group for my wife and myself. I will travel back to Ireland with many treasured memories and more importantly friends which we will hold dear for the rest of our lives.
I know there is a lot of unfinished business. We still have
• 4 Canadian Provinces where there is still no automatic exchange of Irish drivers’ licence for local ones;
• the remainder of our 1916 centenary commemorations;
• the celebration of the 150th anniversary of Confederation,
• an urgent need to improve our passport application times etc.
I have no doubt but that my successor Jim Kelly will tackle these with enthusiasm.
However without any degree of complacency, I feel that I am leaving the Canadian Irish relationship in much better shape that it was in 2010. On a more serious note, I also remember with sadness some very dear friends, who were of great assistance when I arrived here but have passed on during my time as Ambassador.
I want this opportunity to thank every person with whom I have had dealings with over the last 6 years for their kindness and cooperation. If I have been unfair to anybody, I hope they will forgive me for I can assure them that it was never intentional.
Globally, over 90% of people who have an ethnic link to Ireland live outside our island. Therefore it was not difficult to discover the real Ireland here in Canada It has been a joy and an honour to hold this position.
Slán libh
Ray Bassett Ambassador of Ireland
