The Icelandic Canadian - 01.12.2004, Qupperneq 6

48
THE ICELANDIC CANADIAN
Vol. 59 #2
Editorial
by Gordon Reykdal
I’m writing this note because of some
concerns that I believe are occurring with
some recent developments in our Canadian
Icelandic community. It appears to me that
there is a possible split emerging between
those who are supportive of this communi-
ty at large and those who say, “Why both-
er?
As many people know, I feel that we of
Icelandic descent must do much more than
pay lip service to the idea that the Canadian
Icelandic community is worth embracing
and supporting. When I accepted the hon-
our of becoming honourary Consul of the
Republic of Iceland at Edmonton, I
resolved that I would do everything I could
to put the idea of active support for our
Canadian Icelandic community into action.
Active support is what I am now
requesting of the community in Canada.
With almost an equal number of Icelanders
in North America as there are Iceland
itself, we have the opportunity to take the
steps that will achieve two important goals:
economic development for Iceland and
greater recognition for our community and
its role in advancing the interests of the
mother country.
One just has to look at the honour roll
of communities who support their own,
including those who are like us, the Danish
and Norwegians, European groups of all
sorts, including most notably the Italians
and Irish, and also Jewish groups, Greeks,
and more.
Iceland has had a difficult time enough
surviving as an isolated country, separated
from the European mainland by so much
distance. The country itself has had to
endure the emigration of our parents and
grandparents seeking a better life for us,
which for the most part they found in
North America.
Now, we owe something in return, do
we not? We owe it to Iceland to improve
trade and commerce between Iceland and
Canada, which will better the lives of
Icelanders and also create greater awareness
of Iceland in the North American econom-
ic scene. Awareness means trade and trade
means economic prosperity. Right now,
because we aren’t mobilized as a communi-
ty, we lose opportunities—opportunities
that could help our relatives and friends in
Iceland, as well as those who are here.
I doubt that many in our community
even know the facts about what is available
for investors there. Just a quick look at the
Iceland Investment Agency Web site pro-
duces these important considerations:
“Iceland has built up a large-scale
infrastructure that is very well-suited to
meeting the new technological require-
ments of enterprises. This infrastructure
has undoubtedly served as a major support
for fast growth in the ICT industry and the
fast adoption of technological solutions
throughout society. Mobile phone penetra-
tion in Iceland is among the highest in the
world, as well as Internet penetration.
Enormous development and invest-
ment have taken place in telecommunica-
tions and telecom systems in recent years,
partly as a result of deregulation and com-
petition in the sector. The government has
also undertaken major initiatives to
encourage market penetration by foreign
players, passing legislation to ensure
nationwide access to state-of-the-art
telecommunication services.” That’s just in
the tech sector. How about Life Sciences?
“A rapid expansion has taken place in
the life sciences sector in Iceland during the
past decade. Excellent biobanks and data
registries, along with good genetic and
health records, exist in the country, provid-
ing an important source for research and
development for the benefit of health sci-
ences.
Many of the growth leaders in Iceland
today are specialized small or medium size
enterprises with expertise in R&D, target-