Ottawa knows the Megan Leslie phenomenon

The parliamentary election of fall 2008 brought some additional value to the Finnish Canadian scene. An MP of Finnish extraction, the first since Judy Erola.
But as this paper broke the news about the newly elected MP with a Finnish Canadian background, many readers did not recognize the name though. The Finnish scene is still somewhat split politically, and its core areas are in Northern Ontario, not in Halifax where Megan Leslie was elected. Vapaa Sana predicted then that Megan Leslie would make the traditional Finnish scene connection at the summer 2009 Finnish Grandfest in Sudbury, but that debut had to wait for a later date, such as the upcoming end of July joint North American event of people of Finnish extraction, in Sault Ste Marie. Perhaps.
Even though the traditional Finnish emigrant scene has been somewhat slow in making the connection, Finland seems to have realized what an asset an MP of Finnish Canadian background is, in terms of all the common ground that exists between Finland and Canada, irrespective of which party is in power in Canada or what kind of coalition prevails in Finland.
Besides York University and Dalhousie Megan Leslie's academic record also includes a year at the Tampere University in Finland.
She represents NDP, and her Finnish background ties in with her political message as well, or at least does not hamper it. It so happens that many of the political goals of her party are everyday life in Finland, and part of the political consensus there, not opposed by the conservatives either. In Finland, that is.
Last spring Megan Leslie emerged as the winner in a Maclean’s poll to choose the best rookie MP. During the first half a year in the House, she attracted, according to the Maclean’s writer, an unusual amount of notice-enough to win that title.
According to Maclean’s: She speaks with a passion on subjects like energy efficiency, and she sees potential to make an impact where others bemoan the ordinary MP’s impotence. “It’s really remarkable to see how much influence you can have if you are prepared, understand the issues well, and are confident,” she says. “I’ve seen MPs walk into committees and say, ‘This is the way we should be going,’ and other MPs-it doesn’t matter which party-say, ‘Yeah, I agree with that.’ “
And one of the passions is also Finland.
Of course, here in Canada, if you are not from a visible minority, your background does not matter that much, and it is not necessarily in the CV, for example.
The Maclean’s feature quoted here did not mention Finland either. But with the way Megan Leslie is giving Finnish Canadians a new face in Canada, it is likely to be mentioned in many future stories.
Juhani Niinistö