Canada in St. Petersburg

Canadian Consulate General in St. Petersburg - our 10th anniversary...

The Canadian Consulate General in St. Petersburg officially started its operations in the Northwest Russian territory in 1993. It moved to its permanent location on Malodetskoselsky Prospect in 1995. Today, the Consulate is rapidly increasing its presence and has been more active than ever in the past year.

The Consulate provides a multifaceted service for Canada in trade development, consular affairs, visas sector, public affairs, academic and cultural relations and northern dimension initiatives.

"Together with my team - says the Consul General of Canada in St. Petersburg, Dr. Anna Biolik, we try to effectively project Canadian values, Canada's international and national interests.

As our countries have already a lot in common - geography, northern climatic conditions, splendid nature and spacious areas, the key for us is to effectively work on ways in which we can complement each other in working on a vast range of mutual interests and common areas ranging from EuroAtlantic security to the Arctic/North. The most successful way of bridging the gap between Northwest Russia, and St. Petersburg in particular, is to develop networks. This is an area of the Consulate's activities which will remain a priority in the years to come".

The Consulate's 10th anniversary coincides with the St. Petersburg 300th anniversary - an event of international scope and importance. A series of Canadian sponsored activities encompassing a variety of special projects and initiatives is being currently developed. In 2003, the Consulate expects also to host a number of high level Canadian official visits, including these of:
- the Governor General of Canada,
- the Prime Minister of Canada as part of the G8 leaders meeting in St. Petersburg,
- the Mayor of Quebec in the framework of the tripartite Friendship and Cooperation Agreement between St. Petersburg, Bordeaux and Quebec,
- the Canadian Delegation to the 6th General Assembly of the Northern Forum.

Canada College of the St. Petersburg State University

The Canada College of St. Petersburg State University was established as a multi-disciplinary centre serving Russian students. Over the intervening years the College has progressed and now offers three B.A degrees in Canadian Studies in three faculties - International Relations, Management, and Philology.

The Faculty of Philology, in addition to offering a B.A. degree in Linguistics also offers a Canadian Studies Program covering areas such as federalism, multiculturalism, Canada's political and economic systems, etc.

For the first time in the fall of 2002, a Visiting Professor from Carleton University in Ottawa, professor Christopher Levinson taught a semester-long course on Canada's English-language literature. A similar course, with a Visiting Professor, is expected for 2003 in Canada's French-language literature.

In September 2002, Canada's Consul General in St. Petersburg, Dr. Anna Biolik delivered, at the invitation of the Dean, Professor Konstantin Khudoley, a special lecture on the subject of "60 Years of Canada-Russia Diplomatic Relations" at the Faculty of International Relations.

St. Petersburg Chapter of the Russian Association for Canadian Studies

The Canadian Consulate in St. Petersburg helped the establishment of the St. Petersburg Chapter of RACS in 1999. Today, four years later, under the dynamic leadership of Mrs. Tatiana Kuzmina, the Executive Director of the local chapter (and Vice-President of RACS), it remains an institution that contributes significantly to the ever expanding and deepening Canada - Russia relationship. As a dynamically working circle of St. Petersburg Canadianists, this association include politicians, senior public servants, business people, high school teachers, administrators, publishing house representatives, professionals, and journalists. The Readings in Canadian Studies hosted on a regular basis by the Association are particularly valued in the on-going development and expansion of this institution looking towards Russia's youth.

Canadian Friends of the Hermitage

Canada is one of three countries (the others being the Netherlands and the United States of America) that established foundations to assist the Hermitage with the preservation and conservation of its treasures. The "The Hermitage Foundation of Canada", under the dynamic leadership of Robert Kaszanits, concentrates on specific projects in the areas of preservation and education.

Early in 2002, the Canadian Foundation gave the Hermitage a three-million dollar computer system that will be used over the next five to eight years to create an electronic inventory of the Museum's collections.

Earlier the Canadian Foundation provided special protective plastic film for the Museum's windows to reduce ultraviolet-ray damage to its thousands of paintings.

The members of the Canadian Foundation of The Hermitage as well as of the Canadian Friends of the Hermitage keep in close contact with The Hermitage and also provide the Museum with scholarships, organize special series of lectures on subjects related to the Hermitage and fundraising activities.