«Ñlub's success is a barometer of the success of YDFP as a whole»

Mr. Rodney Irwin

From  Interview to Club Newsletter

 

How do you appreciate the present state of Russian-Canadian relations and what are the prospects for these relations?

Our bilateral agenda with Russia continues to be very active. Over the past decade we have witnessed a surge in Canada-Russian cooperation and discussion at all levels: intergovernmental, parliamentary, cultural, academic and private sector. Our political relations have been strengthened through bilateral exchanges on United Nations affairs, G-8 issues, European security, economic issues, Arctic and Northern cooperation and other topics. Canada also has a significant technical cooperation program with Russia - $150 million dollars have been committed since 1991. These funds are used to assist Russia's transition to a market-based economy, facilitate Canadian trade and investment links, and promote Russia's democratic development.

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There are 520 Russia-Canada joint ventures registered in the Russian Federation. Among them 120 joint companies have been registered during 1998-1999. What do you think about the tendency of this process?

.……It looks like there is a consensus on the need for growth, the requirement to increase productive direct investment by foreign and Russian investors, the importance of Russia being fully integrated into the world trading community. This has naturally attracted growing interest on the part of Canadian companies, some of which have decided to test the market and this is represented by an increase in the number of Canadian companies that have been registering in Russia. The Embassy welcomes the increased Canadian business presence, and we will work to support their activities in the Russian Federation.

 

In your view, what is the role of the Russian-Canadian Club of President's Fellows both in Russia and in Canada?

The primary role of the Russian-Canadian Club of President's Fellows is to provide support to Fellows upon their return from Canada. To successfully carry out this role, the Club serves as a focal point for ongoing discussions on professional and career development issues facing Club members. In this manner the Club helps to increase the YDFP's impact in Russia. Also, by helping Fellows maintain and strengthen the Russian-Canadian relationships developed during their time in Canada, the Club promotes, in Canada, a wider interest about, and understanding of, Russia.

 

Mr. Ambassador, thank you for taking the time to answer our questions and what would you like to say in conclusion to our Newsletter's readers?

 

As a major component of the Program, the Club's success is a barometer of the success of YDFP as a whole. Efforts to attract, as members of the Club, all returning Fellows, whether from the Federal or Regional Public Service or from the Private Sector, should continue. To this end, the Club should be able to provide Fellows with required information in an accurate and timely fashion, whether the Fellows are from Vladimir or Vladivostok.

The YDFP has been, and will continue to be, a major feature of the constructive relations between our two countries. I view the Program as one of Canada's major contributions to the restructuring process in Russia. But it is up to individual Fellows to decide whether they want the contacts made under this program to be simply a one-time event. Would they rather continue to use these contacts in their ongoing process of personal and professional development? If so, it is up to the Club to decide whether it will provide the stable base from which these activities may be facilitated.