Honourable senators, I rise today to recognize and to thank the Finnish ambassador to Canada, His Excellency Ambassador Vesa Ilmari Lehtonen, and his spouse, Dr. Pirjetta Manninen, for her distinguished career in geriatric medicine and for his many contributions to diplomacy here in our capital and many other parts of Canada.

As they near the end of their time in Canada, they will be welcoming their successor to Ottawa next week. As representatives of Finland, I would like to recognize their work and share some key highlights that, for me, tell us more about their leadership in Canada-Finland relations.

The Arctic is an important field of cooperation for Canada and Finland. We share the objective of sustainable development in the Arctic, with Indigenous people at the centre. Canada and Finland work together closely in the Arctic Council. The priorities of Finland — environment, connectivity, meteorology and education — are good examples of our common goals, which are environmental stewardship and mitigation of climate change, scientific and technological advancement and facilities for the peoples of the Arctic to sustain traditional livelihoods and develop new ones in a sustainable way.

Just last week, Canada sent a large delegation to the second Arctic Arts Summit, which was held in Finland. Furthermore, Canada and Finland are actively involved in collaborative efforts with the University of the Arctic. Bilateral cooperation is vital to Canadian-Finnish relations. In fact, we have partnered on some interesting projects for the development of bioenergy solutions that will benefit remote northern and Arctic communities.

The Sami people, with approximately 10,000 residing in Finland, have strong similarities with the Indigenous peoples of Canada. I have seen them working together with our Indigenous leaders at the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. Again, we have similarities, such as constitutional recognition, urban living challenges for Indigenous peoples, and language protection. We look forward to continuing to work to make equality for Indigenous people across the globe a reality.

When he returns to Finland, the ambassador will have responsibility for North America, so of course, the new Canada-U.S.-Mexico agreement becomes particularly relevant.

Canada and Finland can be examples of the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and its effective implementation. In the July 2017 Human Rights Council report of the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the report clearly highlights Finland’s work and gave them an “A”.

In closing, I’ve been told that Ambassador Lehtonen is hopeful to continue what has become a passion for Canadian hockey, and Dr. Manninen plans to continue her new promising career as a snowboard instructor and perhaps also as a medical doctor when they return.

Wishing you all the best from all of us here in the Senate. Meegwetch. Thank you.