Jeanette Stovel, Ambassador of Canada to the Republic of Finland

Message

Welcome to the website of the Embassy of Canada in Helsinki, Finland. As I enter my final year in Finland, I am aware how much the relationship between our two countries has grown since I have been here. Starting with the very successful State Visit of our Governor General, Her Excellency Mary Simon in early 2023, to becoming NATO allies, to strengthening our partnership on the key global challenges of our time, I am seeing the Canada – Finland relationship develop in ways we couldn’t have imagined a few years ago.

This relationship, dynamic and forward-looking, has gone from strength to strength, based on shared values and strong people to-people ties which have been bolstered with the introduction of the Youth Mobility Agreement in March 2024. This agreement allows Finnish youth to obtain a permit to work in Canada for up to a year. See International Experience Canada for more information on this exciting opportunity. Our two countries work closely together to address climate change; strengthen the rules-based international order; promote democracy, rule of law, gender equality, human rights, and Indigenous reconciliation efforts; and contribute to global peace and security.

Canada is a close friend and security partner for Finland, and I am proud that we were the first country to ratify Finland’s accession protocols to join NATO and now work together within the Alliance as it responds to Russia’s unprovoked and illegal aggression against Ukraine. Both of our countries have demonstrated our strong commitment to the sovereignty of Ukraine through provision of military, financial and humanitarian assistance.

The relationship between Canada and Finland as Arctic Nations allows us to work cooperatively on Arctic issues such as the impact of climate change on northern regions, sustainable development in Arctic communities, and strengthening ties between the Indigenous peoples of Canada and the Sámi people of Finland, particularly as we move forward in the process of reconciliation.

Together Canada and Finland have built a constructive trade relationship strengthened by opportunities presented by the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), with about a 35% increase in bilateral trade, and a two-fold increase in Canadian direct investment, since Finland ratified the agreement in 2019. Our two countries have the talent and innovation needed for green and digital transition and share a commitment to rules-based international trade.

The team of professionals who work at the Embassy are committed to defending and promoting Canadian interests and values in Finland, including consular assistance and business development services to Canadians, as well as a wide range of bilateral partnerships.

It has been another incredible year in Finland and I continue to be impressed by the warm and friendly reception we receive everywhere we go in Finland. My favourite part of my job is engagement with as many of you as possible, in person and via social media. I encourage you to visit our official X (Twitter) account (@CanEmbFinland) and on Instagram (Canfin) where you will find informative posts on initiatives of interest to both Canadians and Finns alike.

I hope that you will find this website helpful, whether you are a Canadian planning to visit or already living here or are a Finn thinking about partnering with a Canadian company or visiting Canada.

Jeanette Stovel
Ambassador of Canada to the Republic of Finland

Biography

Jeanette Stovel (BA Hons [East Asian Studies], McGill University, 1986; Executive MBA, Warsaw School of Economics and University of Calgary, 2001) worked for 15 years in multilateral and non-governmental organizations in Canada and Poland and throughout the former Yugoslavia before joining Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada in 2006.

During her time at Headquarters, she has served as deputy director of peace operations policy for the Stabilization and Reconstruction Task Force (2008 to 2009) and deputy director for the Middle East in the Peace and Stabilization Operations Program (2016 to 2019).

Her positions overseas have included political counsellor in Poland, where she was concurrently the most senior Canadian diplomat accredited to Belarus; chargé d’affaires en pied in Lithuania, with responsibility for Latvia and Estonia; and, most recently, High Commissioner in Brunei (2019 to 2022). She was accredited as Canada’s Ambassador to the Republic of Finland on November 24, 2022.