Ambassadors from five Nordic countries travelled to St. John’s this week to discuss ways to deepen trade, business and Arctic security connections with Newfoundland and Labrador, days after a new security agreement was signed between Denmark, Greenland and the United States.
The delegation included Denmark’s ambassador to Canada, Nikolaj Harris, along with representatives from Norway, Sweden, Iceland and Finland. The visit came shortly after an agreement that places Arctic security in Greenland under NATO’s responsibility, an alliance that includes both Canada and the Nordic countries.
Harris said Canada already works closely with Nordic nations through NATO and pointed to a visit with the Canadian Coast Guard as evidence of strong existing cooperation. He said he believes there is room to expand that collaboration further in the security space.
Building Northern and Rural Economic Ties
Jon-Åge Øyslebø, deputy head of mission at Norway’s embassy in Ottawa, described the trip as an opportunity to listen and learn about what Canada and the Nordic countries can offer one another. He noted that while Newfoundland and Labrador is separated from the Nordic region by the Atlantic Ocean, the two areas share common ground in Arctic and northern thinking, as well as in coastal, ocean-based livelihoods.
Øyslebø said he was interested in exploring shared interests in fishing and in strengthening resilient economies in rural areas. The ambassadors met with representatives of the Newfoundland and Labrador government during their visit.
Interest in Forestry, Mining and Green Energy
Swedish Ambassador Signe Burgstaller said she saw significant shared values between the two regions, particularly amid global uncertainty. She pointed to potential collaboration in forestry, mining and green energy, noting Sweden’s investment in hydro power and wind power as areas of possible cooperation.
Finnish Ambassador Hanna-Leena Korteniemi echoed that interest, adding that she also has a focus on Arctic research and sees multiple areas where the two regions could work together.
Burgstaller also raised the issue of seal products, saying she hoped to find solutions that would allow them back into the European Union. The E.U. has restricted seal product imports since 2009, and Canada has been urging the bloc to ease those regulations in recent years.
Tourism and Shared Geography
Iceland’s ambassador, Audbjorg Halldorsdottir, focused on the potential for stronger tourism links between Iceland and Newfoundland and Labrador. She said the similarities in geography and culture between the two places made the visit feel familiar, and suggested there was much the two regions could learn from and share with each other.
The visit brought together ambassadors and business leaders to discuss a range of economic and security topics, reflecting broader efforts to strengthen ties between Canada’s easternmost province and the Nordic region.
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