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LIIDLII KUE/FORT SIMPSON - The arbour in Fort Simpson was the site of a gathering of nations on June 22 as the village hosted a Northern tour.

For the past 40 years the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada has organized a tour of Nunavut, the Northwest Territories and the Yukon for foreign heads of mission to Canada, including ambassadors and high commissioners. The purpose of the tour is to familiarize the dignitaries with the realities of Canada's North, said Isabelle Martin, the deputy chief of protocol with the department.

Without the tour it would be almost impossible for the heads of mission to travel to these areas and get a real sense of what Canada is, said Martin. This year's seven-day tour took 18 heads of mission from every region of the world to 10 Northern communities including Iqaluit, Pond Inlet, Resolute, Eureka, Inuvik, Dawson City, Whitehorse, Fort Simpson, Yellowknife and Churchill.

"We really just give them a glimpse," she said.

The tour focuses on allowing the dignitaries to meet First Nations as well as the legislative assemblies in the territories. Stops were also made at a few industry sites including a diamond mine outside of Yellowknife and a climate research centre in Eureka.

"It's to give them a sense of the challenges and the opportunities as well," said Martin.

In Fort Simpson the dignitaries were honoured with a feast at the arbour. The event included a prayer song and a rendition of O Canada sung in Slavey by a group of local students. While they finished their meals, the dignitaries listened to speeches by Liidlii Kue First Nation Chief Jim Antoine, Pehdzeh Ki First Nation Chief Tim Lennie and Dehcho First Nations Grand Chief Samuel Gargan. The leaders spoke about the people's history on the land and current challenges with the federal government.

Many of the countries represented here had colonizers but they've since left, said Gargan.

"We are stuck with the colonizers and we have to try to make the best of the situation we have," he said.

Gargan said the people of the Deh Cho want what everyone else in the arbor wants- self-reliance, self-determination and self-government.

The tour has been an educational experience, said Georg Witschel, the ambassador for the Federal Republic of Germany.

"It's fascinating to see the different landscapes and the different people," he said.

During the tour, Witschel said he got a sense of the Arctic as being many different areas, not just one cohesive whole as some imagine. Witschel said he learned about Northern political issues, self-government, devolution and the geography of the North during the seven days.

"It's probably a once-in-your-life experience to see this," he said.

The differences between the different areas in the North are also what struck Andrew Pocock, the high commissioner for the United Kingdom.

"There's tremendous variety up here, much more than people realize," he said.

For Pocock, highlights of the tour included being in the Arctic Circle and meeting people in the Arctic communities. There are plenty of opportunities in the North and also the challenge of finding a balance between the traditional and the modern. Pocock said he's very interested in seeing how that balance develops.

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