Reflections From Canada's New Consul-General to New England

MIRA - The timing couldn't be better for ex-MP Rodger Cuzner to assume his new role as Canada's Consul-General to New England. 

The former Liberal Member of Parliament, who served in the riding once known as Bras d'Or-Cape Breton and now named Cape Breton-Canso from 2000 until his retirement from active politics in 2019, was tapped by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to serve in the post, which takes in the states of Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont and Rhode Island. 

While he won't officially settle into his new Boston office until January, Cuzner is maintaining a virtual presence in his first month on the job, and the timing of the announcement allowed him to be on hand for the official tree-cutting ceremony for the white spruce that was officially lit up in Boston during the city's annual Christmas celebration on Thursday evening. 

The 2020 edition of Nova Scotia's annual Tree for Boston - a gesture of gratitude for the city's assistance in rebuilding Nova Scotia following the Halifax Explosion of 1917 - comes from a community from within Cuzner's former riding. The Richmond County property of Heather and Tony Sampson supplied the tree, and Cuzner was on hand to share a few words during the official ceremony in Grande Anse on November 12. 

As well, the former MP - famed for his annual political reworkings of "A Visit From St. Nicholas" in the House of Commons every December - has recognized the longtime relationship between Nova Scotia and New England. As an example, he recalled a visit to Boston to support his son Brad, then a member of the St. Francis Xavier University X-Men who was playing a series of exhibition games against Boston College.

Returning to his hotel following one of these games with his wife Lynn, the elder Cuzner ran a yellow light and was promptly pulled over by Boston's finest. Striking up a conversation with the officer in question, Cuzner revealed his Cape Breton roots and MP status, only to lean that the officer was originally from Cheticamp: "My uncle owns [the] Mr. Chicken [restaurant]."

As a result, the Cuzners received a police escort back to their hotel, although the new Consul-General jokingly remarked that he's hoping to avoid a repeat performance when he officially moves into the city in January.