Pöytäkirja - Minutes of the
USP:n KANADAN ALUEKOKOUS – CANADIAN REGIONAL MEETING

Hammarskjold High School
80 Clarkson Street South, Thunder Bay, ON

LAUANTAI - SATURDAY 28.7.2012 10:30 am.

Läsnäolijat – Present: Maire Laurikainen, Sudbury, Seppo Peuhkurinen, Toronto, Ville Itälä, Suomi -Seura, Eila Saari, Sudbury, Tuire Walsh, Toronto, Veli Niinimaa, Calgary, Niilo Saari, Sudbury, Chair

1) Tervetuloa – Welcome – USP/FEP Canadian Deputy Speaker, Niilo Saari
Niilo Saari opened the meeting at 11:10 am. Seppo Peuhkurinen informed the meeting that he was not informed of the meeting via e-mail again this year.

2) Kokouksen sihteerin valinta – Appointment of a secretary for the meeting
Veli Niinimaa was appointed the secretary of the meeting.

3) Todetaan kokouksen laillisuus/päätösvaltaisuus – Establish Meeting Legality and Quorum
As this is an information meeting, no quorum is established.

4) Kutsuvieraiden esittely – Introduction of Special Guests
Mr. Ville Itälä, Chairman of Suomi-Seura and USP/FEP was introduced to the meeting. He presented an update on USP/FEP activities. Mail vote is on top of the agenda, followed by support to the Suomi-koulut, Finnish language classes. Suomi-Seura has had budget problems. Last year a sum of 200,000 euros was added to the base budget of 400,000. This year the Government of Finland took away the additional contribution and reduced the base budget. After renegotiations the base budget was restored and the additional subsidy of 150,000 was returned for a total budget of 550,000 euros. Mr. Itälä noted that the European Union is in financial crisis and is in danger of collapsing. This would have worldwide effects, including in North America. YLE, the Finnish state radio, is restricted to broadcasting within Finland because of legal agreements. Raha-automaattiyhdistys can now support out of country organizations, but only via a third party based in Finland. Suomi-Seura will use social media such as Facebook and Twitter more. However, Mr. Itälä noted that some special groups such as Seniors and Veterans do not necessarily have access to computers.

5) 30.7.2011 Aluekokouksen pöytäkirja – Minutes of 30 July 2011 Area Meeting
The minutes of the meeting were approved as circulated and posted on the USP homepage.

6) Jäsenyhteisöjen terveiset – Greetings from member organizations
Tuire Walsh presented greetings from Sudbury Historical Society, Toronto Lions, Canadian Friends of Finland in Toronto and the Finnish Chamber of Commerce.
Eila Saari brought greetings from the Sudbury Finnish Language School.
Seppo Peuhkurinen reported on behalf of the Toronto War Veterans, informing that about a half a dozen vets received physiotherapy in Finland this year. The organization celebrated its 40th anniversary last year, inviting all Veterans and Canadian clubs to join the celebrations. The Veteran organization is planning to wind up its operations in 2019, as only an estimated 5,000 veterans will then be alive. The Veterans have asked for support in collecting the history of Veterans. The organization was finally directed to the Migration Institute in Turku, which declined to support the project. Seppo noted that children of Finnish parents can declare to get their Finnish citizenship. This right should also be extended to adult descendants of Finnish citizens.

7) Ulkosuomalaisparlamentin (USP) puhemiesten kevätkokous –
FEP Board of Deputy Speakers Spring 2012 meeting minutes are posted on USP/FEP
homepage www.usp.fi

8) Länsi-Kanadan alueuutiset – Western Canada regional news –
Kanadan alueen vara-henkilö – Canadian Region Alternate Deputy Speaker:
Veli Niinimaa reported that a polling station was set up in Calgary by the Embassy of Finland staff for the first time. Participation was the 5th highest in Canada. Voting was also possible in Edmonton and Vancouver. No new members joined from the West, as most active clubs are already USP/FEP members. The three prairie churches in Saskatchewan are not interested in joining. The only contemplated motion to the FEP general sitting dealt with the cost of declaring Finnish citizenship. Recognizing that the item has been presented many times earlier, it was not pursued any longer. Veli has maintained the Canadian area website, posting items as they became available.

9) Kanadan alueen puhemiehen ja vara-henkilön valinta – Selection of Canada area speaker and alternate
A nomination by the Finnish Society of Edmonton of Veli Niinimaa for Deputy Speaker was received by the meeting. The meeting then nominated Tuire Walsh as the Alternate Deputy Speaker for the Canadian region.

10) Yleinen keskustelu (Lokakuu 2012) istunnon aloitteista – General discussion regarding resolutions for the 7th parliament (October 2012).
There was some discussion on the Canadian motion regarding job description of the Honourary Consuls and their appointment methods. It was noted that a few Honourary Consuls serve the Finnish-Canadian population, but some are totally inactive.

11) Muuta kokoukselle kuuluvaa – Other business
There was discussion re a mail vote in Canada for the Deputy Speaker and Alternate Depute Speaker.

12) Kokouksen loppu – Adjournment The meeting adjourned at 12:16 p.m.

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