Hougen's Travels

From Glasnost in the Soviet Union, to progress in India, outgoing Chamber Chairman Rolf Hougen advises Canadian businesses to seize the opportunities while history is on the move.

As Chairman of the Canadian Chamber, leading foreign business groups is part of the responsibilities. The following four photos illustrate one of the trips. This one in November.

In New Delhi India meetings were held with senior business leaders. Other meetings were in Bombay.

A side trip to Agra, south of New Delhi to visit the Taj Mahal was worth the scary, noisy honking, swerving trip in an older car with a sleepy driver, dodging people, carts, pigs, dogs, scooters with several swerves into a ditch; exciting?

Moscow, with Prime Minister Brian Mulroney's entourage, was interesting partly due to the transition going on from Communism to the private enterprise. Shown left is Mulroney with President of the USSR Ryzhkov who invited us to dine in the Kremlin.

About 70km from Moscow is the 15th century monastery Zagorsk. It is the administrative centre of the Russian Orthodox Church. It was a walled fortress. It snowed while Marg and Rolf were visiting - see photo right.

The Chamber Meets the Queen

For the first time ever, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce was part of the Nation's Birthday celebrations on Parliament Hill. And the part the business group played, was as co-sponsor of the special 1990 commemorative stamp with Canada Post Corporation. Canadian Chamber of Commerce Chairman Rolf Hougen and Canada Post Chairman and CEO Donald Lander presented the stamp to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. A "magic" button was pressed by the Queen, revealing the stamp to the thousands who gathered on Parliament Hill or tuned into the live television coverage. Never before has a reigning monarch unveiled a Canadian Stamp. The stamp celebrates the 25th anniversary of the Canadian flag. It depicts the flag fluttering against a sky full of fireworks. The flag became official on Feb. 15, 1965 after lengthy debate. At the time, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce supported the adoption of the new flag as a symbol of Canadian unity. Later, the Chamber also actively supported the designation of July 1 as Canada Day, rather than Dominion Day as it was formerly known.

The Canadian Chamber has strong ties to Taiwan, fulfilling many functions that would be handled by the diplomatic corps. Canada does not officially recognize Taiwan and does not have an embassy in Taipei. 2nd from right, Rolf Hougen, who headed the delegation to Taiwan.

Every year the Chairman of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce attends the annual meeting of the Canadian Chamber. The picture on the right shows Rolf and Marg Hougen viewing Capitol Hill in Washington during a visit to see Derek Burney, Canadian Ambassador to Washington and to attend the U.S. Chamber annual meeting.

In July of 1990 Marg and Rolf Hougen made arrangements for Toni Onley, the Vancouver based water colour artist to spend time in the Yukon painting scenes in various locations. To the right is Ted Harrison and Toni Onley at a reception in the Hougen home.

Hougen Family River trip to France

Following the annual meeting in Edmonton of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce Rolf’s duties as Chairman came to an end, Marg & Rolf took the family – 14 in all and 3 week old Patrick Bell – to St Jean de Losne on the Saone River, east of Dijon, France. They rented two barges and spent the next ten days sampling the great food and wine of Burgundy ending the trip in Macon, France.
Along the river they visited historic sites, and took side trips into the wine country and to the city of Beaune. Long time friends were visited, Michel and Martha Couvreur of Bouze Les Beaune and the famous Mommessin family of Macon. Following the barge trip the family scattered and traveled to other regions of France including Chamonix and the Alsace.

One of the barges we rented - and crewed ourselves. Click for larger view.