Arctic ambassador plays big role, says Mary May Simon

When Mary May Simon officially announced her resignation as Canada’s Arctic ambassador last week, there was a wave of concern from the North that she would not be replaced.

But the department of foreign affairs quickly laid that to rest by making a commitment to name a new ambassador after Simon’s departure at the end of October.

Canada should be commended for maintaining the position of Arctic ambassador, Simon said, as she prepared to leave her posting next month after nearly a decade on the job.

“Over the past nine years we’ve been able to achieve the goals we set out to — the creation of the Arctic Council, and the development and establishment of a northern foreign policy. So I think it’s very important that Canada continue to have an ambassador for circumpolar affairs,” Simon said in an interview from her Ottawa office.

Simon is the first and only person to hold the job. She said that during her tenure, Ottawa became more aware of the issues that face northerners.

“You’re in a position [as Arctic ambassador] to link the internal workings of the government with the external issues of the public and mold that into policies that will meet the needs of both,” Simon said.

The role of the Arctic ambassador is also much larger in scope now than it was when she began.

“It’s not only circumpolar now. It’s global. The issues that we face as northerners, like climate change or persistent organic pollutants, mean we’re not only dealing with the Arctic Council and the circumpolar nations and the people that live in those countries, but with global issues,” Simon said.

After her resignation takes effect on Oct. 31, Simon intends to pursue her interest in assisting youth in the circumpolar region through the Arctic Children’s Foundation.

Simon chairs this fledgling foundation’s board of directors that includes northern First Nations, Inuit and Métis groups, representatives from the permanent indigenous participants in the Arctic Council, as well as her former boss and foreign affairs minister, Lloyd Axworthy, and Nunavut MP Nancy Karetak-Lindell.

Until her departure, Simon will be travelling with Governor-General Adrienne Clarkson on her tour of Russia, Finland and Iceland. In Iceland, Simon will address a strategy meeting devoted to the protection of Arctic oceans and participate in an Arctic Council meeting on new information and communication technology.

Simon, originally from Kangiqsualujjuaq, has also served as president of Makivik Corp. and the Inuit Circumpolar Conference, as well as Canada’s Ambassador to Denmark.

Even as she prepares to leave as Arctic ambassador, Simon said she isn’t retiring, but will continue her work in the region.

“My heart and soul will remain with the circumpolar world.”