30th November 2011 Ottawa, Canada
There’s a guest video on the blog today – Jonathan Dart, our Consul-General in Toronto and the head of the UK Trade and Industry network in Canada. We’ve being doing a bit of a blitz in the Maritime Provinces. Jonathan’s been at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia, talking tidal energy and marine research; and then […]
10th November 2011 Ottawa, Canada
11 November is Remembrance Day. Along with many of my diplomatic colleagues, I’ll be laying a wreath at the War Memorial in Ottawa, at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, when the guns finally fell silent on the Western Front in 1918. This will be particularly poignant for me, as […]
7th October 2011 Ottawa, Canada
There was a fire at Earnscliffe on the night of Tuesday, 4 October. It began at about 7.30 pm, when the smoke alarms went off. The house rapidly filled with smoke, and we evacuated the building. The Ottawa Fire Department arrived in 5 minutes, and deployed with speed and great efficiency. It took about an […]
30th September 2011 Ottawa, Canada
We were lucky last week to have David Cameron in Ottawa. He flew in from New York, where he was speaking to the General Assembly, to a whirlwind programme here. First, he laid a wreath at the War Memorial, in a solemn ceremony of remembrance, to mark British appreciation for Canadian service and sacrifice in […]
15th September 2011 Ottawa, Canada
Last weekend I had the honour of taking in my first British Day at Spruce Meadows. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUREzQkcaQE
29th August 2011 Ottawa, Canada
Last week I met the new Speaker of the Canadian House of Commons, the Honourable Andrew Scheer. He’s the youngest Speaker in Canadian history, but as a former Deputy Speaker he brings experience to the job, and is set to acquire a great deal more. It was fascinating to talk about the Commons in both […]
24th August 2011 Ottawa, Canada
Canada lost a remarkable public figure this week. I would like to offer my most sincere condolences on behalf of myself, the staff at the British High Commission and the British people to Mr. Layton’s family and friends as well as Canadians across this country that have been touched by his passing.
16th August 2011 Ottawa, Canada
If you’re like me, you’ll have watched the riots in the streets of London and other English cities with a mixture of shock, dismay and outrage. There was a great deal of criminality on display. Deeper analysis will follow, but there’s plenty to be done in the interim. In London, we’re well into what the […]
27th July 2011 Ottawa, Canada
British Consul General Alex Budden guest blogs for the High Commissioner from Vancouver. Where Olympic spirit remains high after the 2010 Winter Games. Today, in one year’s time, London will host the 2012 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games. These are officially the 30th Olympiad to be held since the modern Olympics began in 1896 and […]
12th July 2011 Ottawa, Canada
This is part two in a series of blogs by High Commissioner Andrew Pocock on his recent trip to Canada’s Arctic region. Pond Inlet (Lat: 72’42” N; Long: 77’ 59” W) To Pond Inlet on 18 June (Waterloo Day!), pushing ever further north. The local name is Mittimatalik, and we stood on its shore, looking […]