Several CNS members were in attendance at the November 20 Beechwood Cemetery ceremony and reception commemorating the historic 80th anniversary of the St. Roch’s transit of the Northwest Passage from the Atlantic to the Pacific. This was an historic event as the St. Roch had been the first to make the transit from the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean in 1940-42, as well as the first to make the transit both ways, making the east to west transit in 1944. An RCMP schooner, the St. Roch was captained by Henry Larsen, the father of CNS Past President Doreen Riedel, who was a contributor to the commemorative plaque that was unveiled at the ceremony. Born in Norway, Henry Larsen was, by a bureaucratic oversight on the part of Canada, still a Norwegian citizen during these voyages.
The CNS was honoured to receive an official invitation to attend this event from Wayne A. Jacquard, President RCMP Veterans’ Association Ottawa Division. The families of both RCMP Superintendent Henry Larsen and Inuit guide and hunter Joe Panipakuttuk were on hand to help with the unveiling, along with Veterans Affairs Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Norwegian Embassy Chargé d'Affairs Trygve Bendiksby, Wayne Jacquard and RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme.
It was a pleasure to meet Mr. Bendiksby, the Norwegian Head of Mission, at this event. Before his arrival in Ottawa, Mr. Bendisksby was Director for Energy, Climate and Environment at Norway’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He has also served in Norway as the Prime Minister’s special advisor on Renewable Energy and the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet and as Deputy Director for Latin-America and the Caribbean. He has previously been posted to the Inter-American Development Bank and has been part of Norway’s delegation to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in Paris.
We were so pleased to be able to attend this very enjoyable and worthy commemoration. Members of the CNS have been warmly welcomed by the RCMP to view the installed plaque at any time.
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