Canada’s other Sutherland

If you’re wondering what this week’s title is all about, well, I had an interesting chat with the very amiable Canadian Ambassador, His Excellency Peter Sutherland just last week for our business and lifestyle TV show, Business & Leisure (Sunday, 10:30 p.m. Channel 4 Manila & nationwide via satellite on the National Broadcasting Network). I asked him if he had any relations with that hot Hollywood star Kiefer Sutherland of the hit series 24, and he gamely said he tried very hard to find a sliver of connection there but "found nothing that will stand in court."

The young-looking ambassador was born and raised in Canada but admitted to having a bit of a gypsy life there –moving about Montreal, Winnipeg, and Toronto among the other major cities he grew up in. The lean Peter was naturally into active athletics in his student days and only "a bit of campus politics". He is joined here by his wife but he left behind in Canada three wonderful daughters, aged 27, 25 and 23, all professionals, the youngest of whom is set to marry this month.

What warmed my heart was how Ambassador Sutherland gushes about Philippine scuba diving. Both he and his wife learned scuba diving in, of all places, Riyadh while based there. With nothing much to do in terms of water sports, they learned scuba in the pools, and it must have been heaven-sent (his words, not mine) when he learned he was going to be posted here. Being in the diplomatic circle, he and his wife naturally love to travel, and they love discovering new diving sites around the country. He made particular mention of Anilao, Batangas, of Puerto Galera in Mindoro, El Nido in Palawan, the Pearl Farm in Davao, and the diving sites in Cagayan de Oro and Dumaguete City. Asked which is his all-time favorite, the diplomat in him didn’t allow him to pcik just one favorite. He liked discovering the old ship wrecks in Subic, but just as interesting were the large marine life in, say, Palawan, or the colorful corals in Dumaguete. The warm waters hereabout spell a big difference for scuba divers like him who have to contend with bulky gears in colder temperatures. And he can’t get over the wide variety of fishes we have here. Already in his calendar is the ultimate dream of all scuba divers – the Tuba Taha reefs, world famous indeed.

Ambassador Sutherland is no stranger to Filipinos. While based in Riyadh where he stayed for six years, he had a Filipino nanny whom his daughters adored, and much to his surprise, his Philippine posting came immediately after his Saudi assignment.

Last year alone, some 30,000 Filipinos migrated to Canada. Our Filipino contingent made up the 3rd largest immigrant group, after China and India. According to Ambassador Sutherland, it takes some three to four years for immigration applications be to fully processed, with applications for children, spouse, and of late, parents taking priority. He joked that there wasn’t enough time in the show to tick off the benefits that Canada offers its citizenship but with government-provided health benefits and free education for all citizens, these must be attractive enough for its citizens to stay. But Ambassador Sutherland takes it a bit further – he says that on top of these, the government of Canada starts off its citizenry "on a prosperous life and provides them with opportunities to succeed." He cited the Filipino medical doctor he personally knew who migrated to Canada, even taught at the University of Winnipeg, and eventually successfully forayed into Canadian politics (cabinet level).

His approach to bilateral relations puts a lot emphasis on people-to-people inter-action. His country is a vast land, about 23 times larger than the Philippines. He hopes more Filipinos will visit Canada. Most Filipino travelers going to Canada start off with the West Coast, invariably visiting Vancouver and Calgary and the other more popular cities there. I can’t say he’s biased, but he says their Rocky Mountains and the other mountain communities are gorgeous. The East Coast, on the other hand, have land provinces much like the geography in the U.S. He also gushes about Quebec City where 95 percent of the citizens speak French as a first language. It’s a totally different cultural environment, much like a European city within Canadian soil. The warm months, by the way, are from May to October, perfect for traveling if youíre not into heavy winter clothing like me.

Business-wise, he reports that last year, we had roughly $1.5 billion two-way trade, with exports weighing more heavily than imports. Their business interests locally include the ever-popular call centers (thank heavens for these), and they are quite bullish about the re-opening of our local mining to foreign interests. Canada, I hear, has the biggest mining interests across the globe, and the recent decisions of the Supreme Court related to mining excites the mining industry in Canada.

However, it is the small businesses that he sees as the greater provider of jobs. He has been working with business support organizations and local chambers of commerce towards this end. Ambassador Sutherland has worked with 16 of these support organizations, and together, they have helped over 30,000 individual workers towards better opportunities. Splendid.

Ambassador Sutherland is also quick to point out our vast reservoir of talents. In the realm of culture, he takes particular pride in their own home-grown talents, with the likes of Celine Dion. Alannis Morisette and company topping his list. Of course, not to forget Kiefer Sutherland. It is totally unrelated to this subject, but I could tell you horror tales of sleepless nights over the 24 Series. Horror because it is total misery to sleep at 5:00 in the morning and then pull yourself out of bed for a lunch meeting the following day. And all because you couldn’t let go of Jack Bauer in his series of cliff-hanging situationers in 24. I just finished Season 3, so now I can look forward to calmer evenings. Wait till Season 4 hits town. Is Kiefer Sutherland really Canadian?

If you’re interested in visiting Canada, their website is www.manila.gc.ca. You an even download applications from their website – that’s how visitor friendly they are.

In closing, His Excellency Ambassador Peter Sutherland, Canadian Ambassador to the Philippines, "congratulated the Filipino people for what they have to offer Canadian visitors like me, for the welcoming, warm and beautiful country that you have. I just hope more people will have the chance to enjoy it".

For a country that has extremely cold winters in some parts, you have an extraordinarily warm ambassador.

Mabuhay. Be proud to be a Filipino.

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