Ruth Archibald

Last updated

Ruth Archibald (born 26 July 1949[ citation needed ]) is a Canadian diplomat and former political organizer. She is the current Canadian high commissioner in Bridgetown with responsibility for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean.

Contents

Education

Archibald is an alumna of Edgehill School, now Kings-Edgehill School, in Windsor, Nova Scotia. She has a degree in English and political science from Memorial University. [1]

Political career

Archibald was an organizer with the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario from 1972 to 1988. [2] She was campaign manager for Dennis Timbrell in the party's November 1985 leadership contest, in which Timbrell was narrowly defeated by Larry Grossman. [3] She later served as the party's deputy campaign chair in the 1987 provincial election, overseeing nine regional organizations. [4] In August 1987, she remarked that more women were running for public office than was the case ten years earlier. [5]

The Ontario PCs were defeated in the 1987 election, and Archibald became employed later in the year as a special assistant to federal Progressive Conservative cabinet minister Barbara McDougall. [6] When McDougall was appointed as Canada's minister of employment and immigration in 1988, she retained Archibald as her chief of staff and principal policy advisor on immigration issues. [7] In this capacity, Archibald supported McDougall's efforts to significantly increase the overall rate of immigration to Canada. [8] Archibald resigned in 1992 after a disagreement over the minister's decision to continue flying first-class on international trips despite a government directive that forbade the practice. [9]

Diplomatic career

Archibald joined Canada's foreign affairs department in 1993. The following year, she was alternate leader of the Canadian delegation to a United Nations population conference in Cairo. She helped negotiate its Program of Action and, at one stage, noted the difficulty of committing programs and services for women while also recognizing international cultural differences. [10] She welcomed the final document, which many regarded as a victory for women's reproductive rights. [11] Archibald was later a delegate to the 1995 United Nations conference on women in Beijing and chaired a committee that reached a compromise agreement on the right of young people to sex education. [12] She also chaired a committee that addressed discrimination based on sexual orientation. [13]

Archibald was director-general of the global issues bureau at Canada's foreign affairs department in 1997 and worked on Canada's efforts to ban land mines. [14]

In 1998, Archibald was appointed as Canada's high commissioner to Sri Lanka with concurrent accreditation for the Maldives. [15] At a conference two years later, she acknowledged that the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) were active in Canada. She was quoted as saying, "Probably none of the monies collected by the LTTE in Canada ended up in Sri Lanka, but may be going towards the purchase of arms in other countries. We need the co-operation of other countries to look into this." [16]

Archibald met S.P. Thamilchelvam, the leader of the LTTE's political wing, in the northern Wanni jungle in April 2001, during a six-day trip to monitor Canadian-funded humanitarian projects. [17] This was the first time that a Canadian diplomat met with a leader of the rebel group, and Archibald later told the media that the meeting was "a coincidence," held in response to an LTTE request after she arrived in the region. [18] During the meeting, she told Thamilchelvam that Canada was interested in seeking a peaceful resolution to the Sri Lankan conflict and believed the fighting would need to stop. [19] This meeting took place in the context of a Norwegian-led peace process between the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE; the process later broke down, and the civil war resumed.

Archibald returned to Canada in 2002 to work in the Canadian foreign ministry's international crime and terrorism department. She led the Canadian delegation in meetings of an Indo-Canadian Joint Working Group on counter-terrorism. [20]

In 2006, Archibald was appointed as Canada's high commissioner to South Africa. [21] Over the following year, she also received accreditation as Canada's representative for Mauritius, Namibia, Lesotho, and Swaziland. In 2009, she was appointed resident high commissioner to Bridgetown, Barbados, with concurrent accreditation to Antigua and Barbuda, the Commonwealth of Dominica, Grenada, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. [22] [23]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam</span> 1976–2009 militant Tamil organisation in Sri Lanka

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam was a Tamil militant organization that was based in northeastern Sri Lanka. The LTTE fought to create an independent Tamil state called Tamil Eelam in the north-east of the island, due to the continuous discrimination and violent persecution against Sri Lankan Tamils by the Sinhalese dominated Sri Lankan Government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sri Lankan Civil War</span> 1983–2009 conflict

The Sri Lankan Civil War was a civil war fought in Sri Lanka from 1983 to 2009. Beginning on 23 July 1983, there was an intermittent insurgency against the government by the Velupillai Prabhakaran-led Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. The LTTE fought to create an independent Tamil state called Tamil Eelam in the north-east of the island, due to the continuous discrimination and violent persecution against Sri Lankan Tamils by the Sinhalese-dominated Sri Lanka government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Velupillai Prabhakaran</span> Leader of militant Tamil organisation in Sri Lanka (1954–2009)

Velupillai Prabhakaran (listen ; Tamil: வேலுப்பிள்ளை பிரபாகரன்; Tamil pronunciation: [ˈʋeːlɯpːiɭːaɪ pɾaˈbaːhaɾan], was a Eelam Tamil guerrilla revolutionary. A major figure of Tamil nationalism and the founder and leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, a militant organization that sought to create an independent Tamil state in the north and east of Sri Lanka, due to the oppression of Sri Lankan Tamils by the Sri Lankan Government. The LTTE waged war in Sri Lanka for more than 25 years, to create an independent state for the Sri Lankan Tamil people.

The Indo-Sri Lanka Peace Accord was an accord signed in Colombo on 29 July 1987, between Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and Sri Lankan President J. R. Jayewardene. The accord was expected to resolve the Sri Lankan Civil War by enabling the thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution of Sri Lanka and the Provincial Councils Act of 1987. Under the terms of the agreement, Colombo agreed to a devolution of power to the provinces, the Sri Lankan troops were to be withdrawn to their barracks in the north and the Tamil rebels were to surrender their arms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indian Peace Keeping Force</span> Military unit in the Sri Lankan Civil War

Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) was the Indian military contingent performing a peacekeeping operation in Sri Lanka between 1987 and 1990. It was formed under the mandate of the 1987 Indo-Sri Lankan Accord that aimed to end the Sri Lankan Civil War between Sri Lankan Tamil militant groups such as the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the Sri Lankan military.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Erik Solheim</span> Norwegian diplomat and politician

Erik Solheim is a Norwegian diplomat and former politician. He served in the Norwegian government from 2005 to 2012 as Minister of International Development and Minister of the Environment, and as Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme from 2016 to 2018. Solheim is a member of the Green Party. Erik Solheim has 4 children from two marriages.

Sri Lankan Tamil militant groups rose to prominence in the 1970s to fight the state of Sri Lanka in order to create an independent Tamil Eelam in the north of Sri Lanka. They rose in response to the perception among minority Sri Lankan Tamils that the state was preferring the majority Sinhalese for educational opportunities and government jobs. By the end of 1987, the militants had fought not only the Sri Lankan security forces but also the Indian Peace Keeping Force. They also fought among each other briefly, with the main Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebel group dominating the others. The militants represented inter-generational tensions, as well as the caste and ideological differences. Except for the LTTE, many of the remaining organizations have morphed into minor political parties within the Tamil National Alliance, or as standalone political parties. Some Tamil militant groups also functioned as paramilitaries within the Sri Lankan military against separatist militants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Air Tigers</span> Air force of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam

The Tamil Eelam Air Force or Sky Tigers was the air-wing of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), who used it against the Government of Sri Lanka. They also called themselves the Tamileelam Air Force (TAF). Though the existence of the Sky Tigers had been the subject of speculation for many years, the existence of the wing was only revealed after an attack in March 2007, during Eelam War IV.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eelam War IV</span>

Eelam War IV is the name given to the fourth phase of armed conflict between the Sri Lankan military and the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). Renewed hostilities began on the 26 July 2006, when Sri Lanka Air Force fighter jets bombed several LTTE camps around Mavil Aru anicut. The government's casus belli was that the LTTE had cut off the water supply to surrounding paddy fields in the area. Shutting down the sluice gates of the Mavil Aru on July 21 depriving the water to over 15,000 people - Sinhalese and Muslim settlers under Sri Lankan state-sponsored colonisation schemes in Trincomalee district. They were denied of water for drinking and also cultivating over 30,000 acres of paddy and other crops. The fighting resumed after a four-year ceasefire between the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) and LTTE. Continued fighting led to several territorial gains for the Sri Lankan Army, including the capture of Sampur, Vakarai and other parts of the east. The war took on an added dimension when the LTTE Air Tigers bombed Katunayake airbase on March 26, 2007, the first rebel air attack without external assistance in history.

The Indian intervention in the Sri Lankan Civil War was the deployment of the Indian Peace Keeping Force in Sri Lanka intended to perform a peacekeeping role. The deployment followed the Indo-Sri Lankan Accord between India and Sri Lanka of 1987 which was intended to end the Sri Lankan Civil War between militant Sri Lankan Tamil nationalists, principally the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), and the Sri Lankan military.

Divisions of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam refers to the military, intelligence and overseas divisions the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). Most of these divisions were destroyed during the Eelam War IV, and only parts of the intelligence and financing divisions remain overseas.

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a separatist militant organization formerly based in northern Sri Lanka, had various organizations affiliated to it. These include charitable organizations, political parties, state intelligence organizations and even governments of Sri Lanka and other countries. Although the LTTE was militarily defeated in 2009, the Sri Lankan government alleges that a number of foreign-based organizations are still promoting its ideology.

There are allegations that chemical weapons were used by the Sri Lankan military and the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) during the Sri Lankan Civil War. No strong evidence for indicating the consistent use of such weapons during the war have been found thus far.

Terrorism in Sri Lanka has been a highly destructive phenomenon during the periods of the Sri Lankan Civil War (1983–2009) and the first and second JVP insurrections. A common definition of terrorism is the systematic use or threatened use of violence to intimidate a population or government for political, religious, or ideological goals. Sri Lanka is a country that has experienced some of the worst known acts of modern terrorism, such as suicide bombings, massacres of civilians and assassination of political and social leaders, that posed a significant threat to the society, economy and development of the country. The Prevention of Terrorism Act of 1978 is the legislation, that provides the powers to law enforcement officers to deal with issues related to terrorism in Sri Lanka. It was first enacted as a temporary law in 1979 under the presidency of J. R. Jayewardene, and later made permanent in 1982.

Keenie Meenie Services, was a British private military contractor set up by former Special Air Service (SAS) officers in 1975. It operated as a mercenary force in countries where the United Kingdom had political interests, such as Oman, Uganda, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka.

References

  1. "Who's who: Ruth Archibald," The Indian Ocean Newsletter, 30 September 2006.
  2. Rosemary Speirs, "Tory party faithful angry over Davis siding with Trudeau," Globe and Mail, 22 October 1980, p. 1; "Who's who: Ruth Archibald," The Indian Ocean Newsletter, 30 September 2006.
  3. Regina Hickl-Szabo, "Candidate trying to beat 'dull' label Timbrell stresses new, brighter image," Globe and Mail, 11 October 1985, A3; Ross Howard, "Tory campaign chiefs play a numbers game," Globe and Mail, 13 October 1985, A4. Archibald indicated that the Timbrell campaign attended to limit its convention week spending to one hundred thousand dollars. See Orland French, "Gaudy quest for power," Globe and Mail, 14 November 1985, A7.
  4. Robert Sheppard, "Ontario's cottage country emerges as election hot spot," Globe and Mail, 21 July 1987, A3; Stanley Oziewicz, "Ontario's major political parties turning to long-time stalwarts," Globe and Mail, 30 July 1987, A5; Matt Maychak, "Grossman: 'All the talent is still here'," Toronto Star, 1 August 1987, B1.
  5. Catherine Dunphy, "A breakthrough for women," Toronto Star, 29 August 1987, F1.
  6. Robert Sheppard, "PCs a pale shadow of Big Blue Machine," Globe and Mail, 27 October 1987, A8.
  7. Arch MacKenzie, "Clear up myths about immigration, Ottawa told," Toronto Star, 27 August 1988, A1.
  8. Hugh Winsor, "McDougall wins battle to increase immigration," Globe and Mail, 24 October 1990, A1.
  9. "Will Mulroney also bow out of the rescheduled press gallery free-for-all?", Ottawa Citizen, 17 May 1992, A4; Lori Kittelberg, "Senior bureaucrats, PM's pal get foreign listings," Hill Times, 10 August 1998.
  10. "At population conference, a single word causes a rift among delegates," Charleston Gazette, 12 September 1994, P3A; "Language, faiths, customs, block population agreement," Dayton Daily News, 12 September 1994, 3A.
  11. Norma Greenway, "UN endorses women's reproductive rights," Hamilton Spectator, 13 September 1994, A3; John Stackhouse, "Reluctant Vatican agrees to back part of global plan," Globe and Mail, 14 September 1994, A12; Bob Hepburn, "U.N. summit approves plan to curb population," Toronto Star, 14 September 1994, A3.
  12. "Panel at U.N. conference reaches sex-education accord," Dallas Morning News, 12 September 1995, 4A; "Canadians forge compromise: Greater children's rights recognized," Hamilton Spectator, 13 September 1995, A11; Dianne Rinehart, "Canadian team wins praise for compromise," Montreal Gazette, 13 September 1995, B6.
  13. Dianne Rinehart, "Male shadow hits women's forum," Winnipeg Free Press, 15 September 1995, B7.
  14. Stevens Wild, "Legacy of human conflict exacting a deadly toll 110 million mines wait to unleash horror," Winnipeg Free Press, 2 February 1997, A4; "Sri Lanka Not to Sign Anti-Landmines Treaty," Xinhua News Agency, 2 February 1999.
  15. Lori Kittelberg, "Senior bureaucrats, PM's pal get foreign listings," Hill Times, 10 August 1998.
  16. Stewart Bell, "Canadian cash flow confirmed as Tigers kill 21: Terrorist suicide bomber," National Post, 8 June 2000, A01.
  17. "Canadian diplomat meets Tamil Tiger rebel leaders for first time in Sri Lanka," Canadian Press, 3 May 2001, 14:08; "Tamil rebel leader, Canadian envoy meet," Globe and Mail, 4 May 2001, A9.
  18. "Canadian envoy in Sri Lanka meets Tamil Tiger rebel leader --- Coincidental meeting called `constructive, private:' Official," Toronto Star, 4 May 2001, A10.
  19. "Canadian diplomat meets Tamil Tiger rebel leaders in Sri Lanka," Associated Press Newswires, 3 May 2001, 04:05. See also Stewart Bell, "Canadian envoys deceived by Tigers: Tamil leader talked of peace while bracing for war," National Post, 11 July 2001, A09.
  20. "India, Canada agree to broaden counter-terrorism cooperation," BBC Monitoring South Africa, 11 December 2002, 10:36; "INDIA-CANADA HOLD MEET OF JOINT WORKING GROUP ON COUNTER-TERRORISM," Hindustan Times, 12 April 2005.
  21. "Who's who: Ruth Archibald," The Indian Ocean Newsletter, 30 September 2006; "DETERMINED AND UNIFIED EFFORT NEEDED TO STOP WARS: MBEKI," SAPA (South African Press Association), 24 November 2006.
  22. Jennifer Campbell, "Canada battling for UN position; Two-year seat on security council is far from a slam dunk, observers say," Ottawa Citizen, 1 July 2009, C4.
  23. Staff writer (4 July 2010). "Canada to boost help to region". Nation Newspaper . Retrieved 4 July 2010.
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by High Commissioner to Maldives
1998-2002
Succeeded by
Valerie Raymond
Preceded by High Commissioner to Sri Lanka
1998-2002
Succeeded by
Valerie Raymond
Preceded by High Commissioner to South Africa
2006-2009
Succeeded by
Adèle Dion
Preceded by High Commissioner to Mauritius
2006-2009
Succeeded by
Adèle Dion
Preceded by High Commissioner to Namibia
2006-2009
Succeeded by
Adèle Dion
Preceded by High Commissioner to Lesotho
2007-2009
Succeeded by
Adèle Dion
Preceded by High Commissioner to Swaziland
2007-2009
Succeeded by
Adèle Dion
Preceded by
Michael C. Welsh
High Commissioner to Barbados
2009-2012
Succeeded by