Vernon George Turner

On December 26, 2021 at the Montfort Hospital in Ottawa. Predeceased by Beryl Turner (née Nation), his beloved wife and soulmate. In a private ceremony, Vernon will be interred beside her at Beechwood Cemetery, Ottawa. Vernon will be fondly remembered by nieces and nephews of the Nation clan in BC, as well by cousins in Canada and England. He will also be missed by many friends.

Vernon was a Foreign Service Officer. Over a long career he met every challenge. He served twice in Vietnam as a political adviser on international commissions supervising the implementation of agreements bringing to an end ill-fated conflict in that country. These agreements provided a framework for the withdrawal of troops, exchange of prisoners and investigation of incidents. In London, Vernon had the good fortune to meet and marry Beryl, his partner for life. With the Permanent Mission of Canada to the UN in New York, Vernon honed his skills in reporting, speech-writing and advocacy. He dealt with a variety of subjects notably peacekeeping and Chinese representation in the General Assembly and Middle East issues during Canada's 1967/68 membership on the Security Council. A posting in Warsaw where Vernon was in charge of the mission for many months provided valuable experience including persuading the Polish authorities to release two young Canadians who had been arrested for swimming in the river which formed the border between Poland and the Soviet Union. In Dar es Salaam, Vernon as acting High Commissioner, facilitated the visit of a survey team which established the basis for Canadian military assistance. In Washington, under three different heads of mission, Vernon as Minister for political affairs, contributed to the advancement of Canadian interests during the relatively benign Ford and Carter Administrations. In the last decade of his career, Vernon served as Ambassador of Canada to Israel during changes of government in both countries and then in the USSR during most of the Gorbachev era when glasnost and perestroika offered the fleeting prospect of a better life for the Soviet people within a more open society. These appointments were accompanied by dual accreditation to, respectively, Cyprus and Mongolia. In Ottawa, highlights included managing bilateral relations with the Communist regimes of Europe in the fragile atmosphere of East/West detente and trying to be productive and relevant in the unforgiving arena of policy planning when foreign policy reviews dominated the agenda. Increasing seniority provided the possibility of offering policy advice at the political level. Vernon relished this opportunity while having no illusions about how often his advice would be taken. Vernon's dedication, effectiveness and compassion inspired respect among those who worked with him.

A Celebration of Vernon’s Life will be held at the Beechwood National Memorial Centre, 280 Beechwood Avenue, Ottawa, Ontario, on Friday, August 12, 2022 at 2:00PM.

Anyone wishing to honour Vernon could make a donation to the National Arts Centre, Doctors Without Borders or the Ottawa Community Foundation. And all are invited to raise a glass in his memory on some suitable convivial occasion.