Lögberg-Heimskringla - 10.05.2002, Síða 3

Lögberg-Heimskringla • Föstudagur 10 Maí 2002 »3
Fréttir • News
Embassy in Ottawa
One Year Old
On April 9, 2001
Ambassador Hjálmar
Waag Hannesson presented his
papers in Ottawa. and on May
1 st the doors of the new
embassy opened. L-H asked
him how his first year has been.
His immediate response
was “Almost unbelievable -
very rewarding, exciting and
busy.” He went on to say that
there were many th'ings to do
setting up a new office and a
new home, and at the same time
visiting most of the provinces
and territories. He has been
amazed at how different each
province is, how differently
they perceive themselves, and
how extensive the power shar-
ing is.
Hjálmar said “One of the
most interesting and enjoyable
chores I have had is helping to
distribute the sets of sagas.
Inevitably at those occasions,
people of Icelandic descent
come out of nowhere, identiy-
fying themselves as descen-
dants of so and so and so and
so. ”
In Ottawa, he says, people
of Icelandic origin are “coming
out of the woodwork.” For
instance, the main negotiator
for Canada on the Free Trade
Agreement, is Mr. Don
Stefanson.
Trade is very much a part of
the work he is doing. Several
Icelandic companies have
established operations in
Canada. Some of these are: SIF
in Yarmouth, NS, a company
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Future Directions
The culmination of study
sessions and cross North
America consultation on the
future of the Icelandic National
League of North America was
reported at the Minneapolis
convention. Neil Bardal, a past
president of the INL/NA, told
the story of the past, Elva
Simundsson the present. Paul
Westdal, First Vice President of
the INL/NA and Haraldur
Bjarnason of Minneapolis then
posed some alternative struc-
tures for the future.
Elva, in describing the
present, said the INL/NA’s goal
is the protection and preserva-
tion of our cultural heritage.
Under cultural preservation she
identified such things as physi-
cal structures, heritage sites,
calendars, signs, cultural cen-
tres, language classes, concerts,
Þorrablót and similar activities,
conventions, scholarships and
the Government of Iceland
scholarship.
Römm er sú taug/
Strong are the bonds
She identified as important
connections for the INL/NA the
following: the Lögberg-
Heimskringla, the Canada-
Iceland Foundation, the
lcelandic Canadian Magazine,
Icelandic language and cultural
camp and the University of
Manitoba Chair and Library.
Initiatives from Iceland, such as
the Snorri programme, East and
West, the generous saga gift,
visit of groups, the new
embassy and consulate,. trade
and tourism shows are impor-
tant connections with the land
of origin.
Saying that all clubs have
common goals, but not com-
mon issues, she identified what
we need as: Unity among chap-
ters and clubs; Liaisons with
festivals and foundations; and
stable funding for the INL-NA
office.
Common and recurring
issues are the conflicting inter-
ests between recent immigrants
and the descendants of
Icelandic pioneers, and commu-
nications.
She then answered the
question of how Iceland can
help: a ‘Snorri’ program for
adults and assistance with
genealogy. She specificallv
suggested that they offer a fam-
ily location service as part of a
tourism package to Iceland,
while on the other hand work-
ing with visitors from Iceland
to North America to assist in
locating family before they
come.
The Future portion of the
report focussed on possible
structures for the organizations
- whether the association in
PHOTO USED WITH PERMISSION FROM BARRY KAPLAN
People of Icelandic descent at the saga presentation in
Kingston, from left to right: Kenneth Wilson, Stefanía
Sveinbjarnardóttir-Dignum, Harpa Asgrímsdóttir-Árdal,
Ambassador Hjálmar Hannesson, Vilborg Sveinbjarnar-
dóttir-Wilson, Ragnhildur Hallórsdóttir-Skyoch
importing salted fish; WiseFish,
owned by Tölvumyndir, a soft-
ware company in Halifax which
produces software for the fish
industry; Sæplast in New
Brunswick which produces fish
Canada, the United States and
Iceland would unite under one
umbrella or whether they would
continue to exist side by side.
The handout prepared by
Paul and Haraldur, which out-
lines the options, is available
from the INL/NA office in
Gimli. They would like your
feedback on the proposals, as
during the year they will be
preparing a recommendation to
be considered at the 2003
Convention in Edmonton.
Contact Helga Malis for a copy.
Tel. 204-642-5897 Fax. 204-
642-9382
E-mail: inl@ecn.mb.ca.
There was some discussion
from the floor on the proposal.
Einar Benediktsson, former
ambassador to the United States
and Canada, and currently
chairman of the Icelandic-
America Association,
expressed the view that the
clubs in the United States were
too scattered and not well
enough organized to contem-
plate bringing them into the
INL/NA fold. Mary Josefson of
Minneapolis cautioned that the
legalities must be examined
carefully before a decision is
made. She made specific refer-
ence to the tax status that the
American clubs have, and
which the Canadian clubs do
not. Her thoughtful presenta-
tion on the subject eamed her a
seat on the Future Directions
Committee.
tubs, Marel in Dartmouth, NS.
Eimskip and Samskip are in
Halifax, and there are about ten
smaller operations in the
Maritimes, most providing
service to the fishing fleet and
ocean going vessels.
Hjálmar’s work involves
political, trade, economic and
cultural matters, and he deals
with these with a small staff.
They must prioritize their work.
Some of the cultural eflorts
include the Viking Exhibit and
the photography exhibit, both
opening in Ottawa in May, and
the Ottawa International
Writers’ Festival later this year.
Their house, bought before
it was completed, in Rockcliff
Park, is in a wonderful neigh-
bourhood and well designed for
entertaining. Which they do a
great deal. Anna Birgis,
Hjálmar’s wife, enjoys this
aspect of their life there very
much.
7’lGreat,.
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