Norwegian Canadians shocked at slayings

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This article was published 23/7/2011 (2796 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

THE killing of 92 innocent people in an explosion and shooting rampage in Norway Friday is beyond comprehension for Norwegian Canadians.

"It's shocking. Norway's known for being a peaceful, progressive country," said Kristin Tresoor, a former president of the Norwegian Canadian Club in Winnipeg.

Norway has very good gun control and a history of peacekeeping, said Tresoor.

"I'm a proud Norwegian Canadian. I can't imagine what the Norwegian people are going through," she said.

Tresoor is a second-generation Canadian with second cousins in Norway.

"How could one person do all that?" she asked.

Randi Tollefsen, who emigrated from Norway as a young woman in 1965, said all parties have such camps for their youth wings in Norway. "I'm 80 and they had these camps when I was in my childhood," she said.

"It happens all over the world but you don't think it can happen where you came from."

Natalie Denesovych, the honorary Norwegian consul in Winnipeg, voiced similar feelings. "I think the whole world is shocked and appalled," she said. "Norwegians have been peacekeepers for many years."

Norway was among the poorest countries in Europe after the Second World War and now ranks as the richest. It's known to be progressive. Norwegian mothers can obtain two-year maternity leave. It also has a liberal immigration policy.

About 8,000 Manitobans have some Norwegian descendants, Denesovych said.

Norway has a population of about five million. It's capital, Oslo, is about the same size as Winnipeg.

bill.redekop@freepress.mb.ca