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 Canada |  Iceland |
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Canada and Iceland have longstanding foreign relations. Contact goes back over a thousand years, but formal diplomatic relations began in 1947. Both nations are members of the Arctic Council, NATO, OECD, and WTO. Additionally, Canada holds observer status in the Barents Euro-Arctic Council.
Relations between Iceland and present-day Canada began over one thousand years ago when Icelander Leif Erikson landed in L'Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland to establish a colony. [1] However, the colony did not last long, and much of the fate of the migrants is unknown. The first permanent migrants from Iceland arrived in Canada in 1874 to work on the rail lines at Kinmount, Ontario. [2] Between 1870 and 1914, thousands of Icelanders migrated to North America, with most moving to Canada. [3]
In 1940, during World War II, Canadian troops were based in Iceland, along with troops from the United Kingdom and the United States to counter German advances in the north Atlantic. Canadian Prime Minister William Mackenzie King said this action was made by the Canadian Government at the request of the Government of the United Kingdom. [4] Canadian Prime Minister Mackenzie King announced on 18 June 1940 that the first contingent of the Canadian Expeditionary Force had landed in Iceland. [5] In 1942, Iceland opened a consulate in Winnipeg. [6] Soon after the war, in 1947, both nations officially established diplomatic relations. [6]
In 1948, Iceland appointed an ambassador to Canada with residence in Washington, D.C. In 1949, Canada appointed a non-resident ambassador to Iceland based in Oslo, Norway. [6] In May 2001, Iceland established an embassy in the Canadian capital of Ottawa and Canada followed suit by opening an embassy in Reykjavík. [6]
Prime Ministerial visits from Canada to Iceland [7] [8]
Prime Ministerial and Presidential visits from Iceland to Canada [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18]
Minister of Labour Immigration in Manitoba, Nancy Allan, said "No country in the world is closer connected to Manitoba than Iceland". [19]
There is a community of Icelandic descent concentrated mainly in Gimli, Manitoba. [20] In 2008 in Canada, 88,875 people have some ethnic Icelandic background, 30,550 of them in Manitoba. This equates to about a third of Iceland's current population. [2]
In 1999, Halldór Ásgrímsson, Icelandic Minister for Foreign Affairs and External Trade said: [21]
Iceland and Canada have shared close and friendly ties for a long time. A large proportion of the Icelandic population migrated to Canada during the latter part of last century and the early part this century. Today, we find by far the largest population outside Iceland, in Canada.
Neil Bardal was an active member of the Icelandic community in Manitoba and served as a former honorary consul general of Iceland, past president of the Icelandic National League of North America and director of the Canada Iceland Foundation. In 2006, he was the recipient of the Order of Manitoba for his leadership work in the Icelandic community. In 2000, Bardal was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Icelandic Order of the Falcon, the highest honour bestowed by the Icelandic government. [22] [23] [24] Former United States Consul to Winnipeg, Mary Speer, described Bardal as a "tireless advocate for strong Canadian-Icelandic relations." [25]
Another descendant of Canada's Icelandic community, Janis Gudrun Johnson was appointed to the Senate of Canada in 1990 by then-Prime Minister of Canada Brian Mulroney. Throughout her time in the Senate, Johnson has been a strong proponent of close Canada–Iceland relations and cultural ties. From November 28–29, 2014, Johnson accompanied Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs John Baird on a bilateral visit to Reykjavik to discuss a variety of bilateral issues including responsible resource development, expanding the European Free Trade Association free-trade relationship, international security issues and the objectives of the Arctic Economic Council. [26]
In 1975, the Icelandic Government urged Canada to establish a 200-mile offshore fishing limit to protect itself from overfishing by foreign fleets. The Foreign Minister of Iceland, Einar Aguisson, said "we sincerely hope Canada will establish an offshore limit of 200 miles". The Icelandic President Kristján Eldjárn said during a tour of Canada that "Iceland can't wait any longer because of depleted fish stocks and if Canada joins us we will then have an important ally." [27]
In 1998, the two countries signed a trade and economic cooperation agreement. [28] In 2007, Canada signed a free trade agreement with the European Free Trade Association which includes Iceland. [29] [30] This agreement came into force July 1, 2009. [31]
Under this trade agreement, Canadian exports to Iceland such as industrial products received tariff reductions. This included prefabricated buildings, cathode ray tubes, steel structures, aluminum structures, and doors and windows. Tariffs on Canadian frozen french fries exported to Iceland will be reduced by about 40 per cent. [31]
In 2008, Canada was Iceland's 20th largest trade partner with the top Icelandic export sectors being fish, crustaceans, molluscs (C$11.1m), chemicals (C$4.1m) and machinery (C$3.7m). [32]
In February 2009, the Government of Manitoba proposed an initiative where skilled, unemployed workers from Iceland would work to fill vacancies in Manitoba to help Icelanders affected by the 2008–2012 Icelandic financial crisis. The Manitoba and Icelandic governments signed off on the initiative in 2009. [19] However, the process was delayed by the federal government's rules around the Temporary Foreign Worker Program. This frustrated the Icelandic Government. A representative of the Icelandic government's Directorate of Labour said "It has moved slower than I expected, and that's bad, not the least for those who are unemployed, because time doesn't work for them." [33]
In late 2010, the opposition party in Iceland suggested that the country should scrap its currency in favour of switching to a new currency after the very serious banking collapse in 2008. Seven out of ten Icelanders surveyed agreed with changing to a new currency if it meant more economic prosperity. [34] The favoured currency of choice was the Canadian dollar due to the closeness of cultural customs between Canada and Iceland. Neither governments would comment and a speech by Canada's ambassador to Iceland was cancelled in March 2012, when the matter became more prevalent. [34]
In early 2010, the government of Iceland protested its exclusion by the government of Canada from a meeting on Arctic sovereignty attended by ministers from, in addition to Canada, Denmark, Norway, Russia and the United States.
Canada’s then Minister of Foreign Affairs, Lawrence Cannon, defended his decision not to include fellow Arctic Council members Finland, Iceland and Sweden, on the grounds that the meeting was exclusive to members of the Arctic five. [35] [36]
Iceland has had direct shipping connections with the Canadian province of Newfoundland across the North Atlantic Ocean. The fishing banks off the shore of Newfoundland were frequent destinations for the Icelandic trawlers. [37]
Shipping line Maersk Line offers a container service from Montreal to Reykjavík and also a service from Vancouver to Reykjavík. Eimskip, an Icelandic company, operates between Argentia, Newfoundland and Halifax, Nova Scotia to Reykjavík. [38]
In 2007, the Canadian Transport Ministry announced an Open Skies agreement with Iceland, under the Government of Canada's Blue Sky policy. Canadian Minister of International Trade David Emerson said "This Blue Sky agreement will complement the recent free trade agreement signed with Iceland and other countries of the European Free Trade Association, and will help facilitate stronger business ties and enhance tourism between Canada and Iceland". [39]
There are direct air links between the two countries. In May 2007, Icelandair commenced flights between Halifax and Iceland. [40] [41] In August 2007, Icelandair announced they intended to start flights between Toronto and Iceland. [42] Flights started in May 2009 between Reykjavík and both Toronto and Halifax. [32]
In December 2009, Icelandic airline Iceland Express announced it would commence services between Winnipeg and Iceland commencing in June 2010. [43] However, Iceland Express has since sold to WOW air, which has regular flights from Reykjavík to Toronto and Montreal. [44]
Starting in March 2013, Icelandair upgraded its seasonal service from Toronto to Reykjavík to year-round. [45] It also launched year-round service from Edmonton starting from March 2014. [46]
The Embassy of Iceland in Ottawa, Ontario provides Icelandic diplomatic representation in Canada. The embassy is also responsible for Iceland's relations with Costa Rica. The embassy was established in May 2001 and is located on the seventh floor of Constitution Square Tower 1, an office building in the city's downtown. The ambassador in 2023 is Hlynur Guðjónsson. [49]
The recorded history of Iceland began with the settlement by Viking explorers and the people they enslaved from Western Europe, particularly in modern-day Norway and the British Isles, in the late ninth century. Iceland was still uninhabited long after the rest of Western Europe had been settled. Recorded settlement has conventionally been dated back to 874, although archaeological evidence indicates Gaelic monks from Ireland, known as papar according to sagas, may have settled Iceland earlier.
The foreign relations of Canada are Canada's relations with other governments and nations. Canada is recognized as a middle power for its role in global affairs with a tendency to pursue multilateral and international solutions. Canada is known for its strong commitment to international peace and security, as well as being a mediator in conflicts, and for providing aid to developing countries. The "golden age of Canadian diplomacy" refers to a period in Canadian history, typically considered to be the mid-20th century, when Canada experienced a high level of success in its foreign relations and diplomatic efforts.
Icelandic Canadians are Canadian citizens of Icelandic ancestry, or Iceland-born people who reside in Canada.
Canada–Ukraine relations are the bilateral ties between Canada and Ukraine.
The United States has maintained diplomatic relations with Iceland since the mid-1800s.
Canada and Israel share bilateral diplomatic, commercial, and cultural ties. Canada recognised Israel on 11 May 1949, three days before the first anniversary of the Israeli Declaration of Independence, and currently maintains an embassy in Tel Aviv; Israel maintains an embassy in Ottawa and regional consulates in Montreal and Toronto.
Canada–Russia relations are the bilateral relations between Canada and Russia, the world's two largest countries in terms of area. Due to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, relations became very tense after Canada imposed sanctions against Russia. Russia placed Canada on a list of "unfriendly countries", along with Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, Singapore, the United States, European Union members, NATO members, Australia, New Zealand, Switzerland, Micronesia and Ukraine.
Iceland–Russia relations are the relations between the two countries, Iceland and Russia. Russia has an embassy in Reykjavík. Iceland has an embassy in Moscow, and two honorary consulates in Murmansk and Saint Petersburg. Relations between Iceland and Russia have floundered in recent years due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the poisoning of Sergei Skripal, and on June 9, 2023, Iceland announced it would be suspending operations at its embassy in Moscow.
Icelandic–British relations are foreign relations between Iceland and the United Kingdom.
China–Iceland relations formally began on 8 December 1971, when Iceland recognised Beijing. Prior to the signing of a Free Trade Agreement between the two countries in 2013, diplomatic activities between them were relatively few in number. However, since this event, political cooperation has increased. There is growing number of economic and cultural ties, as their political partnership has expanded.
Iceland–Japan relations refers to the diplomatic relations between Iceland and Japan. Both nations are members of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
Canada and Denmark have longstanding bilateral relations. Canada has an embassy in Copenhagen. Denmark has an embassy in Ottawa and a consulate-general in Toronto. Both countries are full members of NATO and the Arctic Council. Relations between the two countries have attracted attention in light of the dispute over Hans Island, which was resolved in 2022.
Greek–Icelandic relations are foreign, economic and cultural relations between Greece and Iceland. Greece is represented in Iceland through its embassy in Oslo, Norway and through an honorary consulate in Reykjavík. Iceland is represented in Greece through its embassy in Oslo, Norway and through an honorary consulate in Athens. They have been firm allies for over 60 years, and have reaffirmed their ties recently at the highest levels of contacts. Both nations are members of NATO, OSCE, COE, and the UN.
Canada–Sweden relations are the interstate relations between Canada and Sweden. They are founding members of the Arctic Council and have positive cultural and economic relations. In addition, there are more than 300,000 Canadians of Swedish descent. The relationship is backed with many mutual treaties, and sees moderate foreign direct investment and trade. One notable commonality for both Canada and Sweden are their commitments to feminist foreign policy.
Czech-Iceland relations are foreign relations between the Czech Republic and Iceland. Both countries established diplomatic relations on 1 January 1993. The Czech Republic is represented in Iceland through an honorary consulate in Reykjavík. Iceland is represented in the Czech Republic through its embassy in Vienna (Austria) and through an honorary consulate in Prague.
Iceland–Latvia relations are foreign relations between Iceland and Latvia. Iceland was the first country to recognize the independence of Latvia in August 1991. Both countries re-established diplomatic relations on August 22, 1991. Neither country has a resident ambassador. Iceland is represented in Latvia through its embassy in Helsinki (Finland). Latvia is represented in Iceland through its embassy in Oslo (Norway) and an honorary consulate in Reykjavík.
Iceland–Ireland relations are the bilateral relations between Iceland and Ireland. Both nations are members of the European Economic Area, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.
Canada and Mongolia countries established diplomatic relations on November 30, 1973. Canada has been represented in Mongolia through an embassy since 2008. Mongolia has an embassy in Ottawa, and in 2002 opened an Honorary Consulate in Toronto.
Iceland–Israel relations refers to the diplomatic relations between Iceland and Israel. Both nations are members of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and the World Trade Organization.
Iceland–Turkey relations are the bilateral relations between Iceland and Turkey. The diplomatic relations were established in 1957. The Icelandic Embassy in Copenhagen is accredited to Turkey, whereas the Turkish Embassy in Oslo is accredited to Iceland.
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