Departing U.S. consul general praises city
Fite’s embrace of Habs hints at how much she came to think of this city as home
The United States consul general in Montreal is leaving this summer after three years posted here, with an optimistic outlook on the city’s economic future, faith in the enduring relations between the U.S. and Canada, and lingering resentment over the fact the Canadiens traded P.K. Subban.
“Who would have thought I’d be cheering for the (Nashville) Predators in the playoffs?” mused Nina Maria Fite, echoing the sentiment of many a Montrealer and providing proof of her northern indoctrination.
A Pennsylvania native and lifelong Philadelphia Flyers fan (a picture of her posing with the Stanley Cup after the Flyers triumphed in the early ’70s sits on the piano in her ornate living room), the career member of the Senior Foreign Service who has served in Afghanistan, Angola and Pakistan also learned the thrills and frustrations that come with embracing the Habs.
Fite sat down with the Montreal Gazette Tuesday to give her impressions of the city and the status of trade relations with the U.S.
As consul general, she manages a staff of nearly 100 Americans and 40 local staff at Montreal’s U.S. consulate.
They cater to the needs of the more than 30,000 U.S. citizens living in the greater Montreal region, updating passports, providing visas and reporting births, deaths and marriages back to the administrative authorities in the United States. There are U.S. consulates in seven cities across Canada.
In addition to serving as the local branch of the U.S. public administration, the consulate focuses on strengthening ties between businesses across the border, since Canada and the United States are each other’s largest trading partners.
In addition to Montreal, the consular staff travelled to cities like Drummondville, Sherbrooke and Granby, accompanied by officials with the U.S. Department of Commerce, visiting techno parks and chambers of commerce to advise entrepreneurs on how to network and handle customs issues.
U.S. investors were given web seminars provided in part by the Office québecois de la langue française on how to navigate the province’s language laws and where to go for help and translation.
Trade is strong in the energy, health sciences and bio-tech sectors, as well as in manufacturing, pharmaceuticals and tourism, Fite said. The development of two super hospitals, the McGill University Health Centre and the Centre hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal, along with the city’s successful tendency to group such sectors as pharmaceuticals and video-game industries into clusters, and its convergence of universities and research centres, bodes well for continuing investments, Fite said. She also cited Mayor Denis Coderre’s enthusiastic promotion of the city, “that is raising its visibility around the world.”
Fite is circumspect on current irritants between the two nations — including President Donald Trump’s insistence on renegotiating the NAFTA free-trade agreement and asylum seekers fearing a U.S. crackdown and flooding into Canada — leaving those for the American embassy to comment on. But she noted that the countries’ strong economic ties and common values on matters like freedom of speech, tolerance of religion and openness on gay and transgender issues means its relationship will endure.
“Government changes every four years, and that’s just part of the diplomatic life and business,” she said. “I believe U.S. values are consistent with what they’ve been, and very consistent with Canadian values.”
She noted that a travelling exhibit called Northern Stars, commissioned for Canada’s anniversary, marks “150 years of friendship and cooperation between the two countries.”
Fite said she will miss the city’s mix of neighbourhoods, its food and the way in which Montrealers embrace the outdoors in all seasons, but says its charm and good reputation can have certain drawbacks.
Contrary to previous postings, Fite has hosted nearly 150 house guests eager to visit the city at her stately official residence on Redpath Crescent, nestled against the
side of Mount Royal downtown, which has been both rewarding and somewhat tiring.