Nova Scotia has more than 30 honorary consuls. Here’s what they do

When Halifax’s Áine O’Hare decided she wanted to apply for an Irish passport she wanted more information on the process and turned to the internet to see if there was an embassy or mission she could call.

To her surprise, she found an Irish representative listed in Halifax. The address? The Old Triangle pub on Prince Street.

She left a message and soon heard back from Brian Doherty, the owner of the pub and the honorary Irish consul in Nova Scotia. Doherty gave her advice on the application process.

Doherty is one of about three dozen honorary consuls in the province.

Honorary consuls in Canada are unpaid representatives appointed by foreign governments to promote their interests and provide limited diplomatic services.

They are usually Canadian or residents of Canada and have strong networks locally and in the country they represent.

Ireland

When it comes to strong networks, few can match Doherty.

Originally from Omagh, his decades in the music and bar business have helped him build strong connections with the Irish community in Nova Scotia.

Doherty said he had already spent years helping locals make connections in Ireland when Ray Bassett, the Irish Ambassador to Canada at the time, asked him to be honorary consul in 2013.

Doherty said there are many trade and cultural connections between Ireland and Canada that he helps facilitate in addition to helping Irish citizens in Nova Scotia.

“A number of people lose their passports,” he said. “I’m able to issue a one-way passport back to Ireland.

“We can set up meetings with people wanting to do business in Ireland. We can set up meetings with local government officials and vice versa. If local government officials want to connect with someone in the embassy, I can facilitate that.”

Philippines

Consuelo (Connie) Lacson has been the honorary consul for the Philippines since 2019, when she was appointed by the country’s ambassador to Canada.

With a fast-growing Filipino community in Nova Scotia, Lacson said she is kept busy.

She said her work includes authenticating documents, renewing passports, getting police clearances and organizing the annual Philippine Fiesta in Halifax.

Lacson said although she is accredited in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, she also provides assistance to people in Newfoundland and P.E.I.

She said there is growing trade between Nova Scotia and the Philippines. That could increase when Premier Tim Houston makes a visit there in February to promote Nova Scotia seafood products.

Lacson says the highlight of her role was solving the credential issues facing Filipino nurses coming to the province in March 2023.

“It was a long process of maybe a year and a half, having meetings between the College of Nursing, Dalhousie University and the Nova Scotia Health Authority,” she said.

“Our Filipino nurses can now work in Nova Scotia without going through the two years of bridging program.”

São Tomé and Príncipe

Of all the diplomatic representatives in Nova Scotia, the one most likely to have people turning to a world map is the honorary consul for São Tomé and Príncipe. The tiny island nation of around 250,000 people is located off the west coast of central Africa.

Daniel Reis Faria was appointed to the position in February 2023 because of work he did in the country as CEO and founder of Erebor Capital. Halifax-based Faria is currently the only diplomatic representative for São Tomé and Príncipe in North America.

Faria said honorary consuls make sense for small island nations because it allows them to have someone with an effective network and the ability to help the country at no cost.

He said his primary roles are to help locals make connections with the government of São Tomé and Príncipe and attract investment and economic activity to the country.