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Students pepper UN rep

Lisa Scott
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Sep 28/05) - Yellowknife students peppered insightful, well-thought out questions to the Canadian High Commissioner to Ghana at a recent United Nations roundtable discussion.

Is there any way to ease the process of entry into Canada for those seeking refugee status?

What is the UN doing to reduce human trafficking in developing countries?

The High Commissioner, Donald Bobiash, answered question after question from the approximately 30 students, filling them in on the role of Canada in the UN as he went.

For students like Maxime Babin-Lavoie, the answers may lead him closer to his life's goal - to work with the agency that promotes peace through international cooperation.

"Getting to travel and help the people. I'd love to do that," said the management studies student.

This was Babin-Lavoie's third or fourth time taking part in a discussion with a UN representative. The youngest students at the table at Northern United Place were Ecole Allain St-Cyr students Marie-Eve Dugre, 14 and Lydia Guthrie, 13.

With little research time before the discussion, they admitted they were a little out of their element.

They chose to listen to the talk going around them instead.

"I kind of like knowing what's happening in other countries and what we can do to help," said Guthrie.

Dugre nodded her head in agreement.

On a break from the talk, Bobiash said he was very impressed with the Northern students. "Obviously the students are very interested in international affairs and have done a lot reading and are asking intelligent questions," he said.

"It's a great eye opener as to what Canada's role is in the United Nations and the contributions the UN makes to global development," he said.

Bobiash, along with Captain Joel Cote from the Canadian Forces Northern Area, spent the second half of the morning talking about opportunities for young Canadians to work internationally.

The High Commissioner is completing a series of roundtable talks, with one scheduled for Calgary and another for Victoria after he leaves Yellowknife. The sessions are part of a Foreign Affairs Canada effort to mark the 60th anniversary of the United Nations.