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The people of Greenland hope that Canada will go back as they continue to face threats that they will be taken over by the US, said Gov. Gen. Mary Simon.
Simon, a former ambassador to Denmark and Canada’s first ambassador for Circumpolar Affairs, says he has spoken to Greenlanders who feel “uncomfortable” about US President Donald Trump’s desire to make their territory part of the US.
“They feel they need a lot of support from Canada in terms of making sure they don’t in any way hinder their relationship with Denmark,” Simon told CBC News.
“They are also afraid of what they hear in the media because it changes day by day and sometimes people say they are trying to live like in other countries but they still think about it a lot.”
Greenland is an autonomous region of Denmark that handles most of its domestic affairs, while Copenhagen controls its foreign and defense policy.
It has about 56,000 people, about 90 percent of whom are Inuit or mixed Inuit and Danish.
Strengthening relations with Mexico
Simon, who is Inuk and Canada’s first Indigenous Governor General, spoke to CBC News on Tuesday while at the end of a two-day visit to Mexico City.
He met with representatives of several indigenous tribes on Monday and with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Tuesday.
“I am very happy to meet the president of Mexico. I think he is an amazing person and he has made indigenous issues a priority in his work,” said Simon.
Simon said his visit aims to deepen the relationship between Canada and Mexico and build on the foundation laid by Prime Minister Mark Carney, who met with Sheinbaum in Mexico last September.
The Carney administration has made deepening relations with Mexico a priority. Canada-US Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc is leading a major trade campaign in Mexico next month.
Canada and Mexico are also part of a trade agreement with the continental US known as the Canada-US-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA), which is currently being considered for renewal.
“There are many areas where we will continue our work together – especially in view of the CUSMA negotiations that will emerge in the near future. It is very important to keep our bilateral relationship with Mexico strong,” said Simon.
“I think it’s very important for me to help advance our ongoing work … it’s been a very fruitful journey and I hope I’ve been involved enough to help advance the important things we have in common between Canada and Mexico.”
‘Hope for the future’
His meeting with Sheinbaum came just a few hours after Prime Minister Mark Carney delivered a speech during the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in which he gave a stark description of the world order now dominated by the interests of superpowers.
Carney said middle powers – such as Canada and Mexico – are faced with a choice “to compete for favors or to unite and create a third way.”
Carney also said that Canada stands “strong with Greenland and Denmark.”
Simon says he believes Canadians should read Carney’s Davos speech in full.
“I would encourage Canadians to read the speech and understand the position Canada is taking … in the difficult world we live in today,” Simon said.
Simon is scheduled to travel to Nuuk, Greenland, next month with Foreign Minister Anita Anand to open the Canadian embassy.
He is also scheduled to deliver a speech during a conference in Norway during the same trip.
