Bruce Jacob Elias Jutzi

Bruce Jutzi was born in 1941 in Kitchener, grew up in Baden, Ont, attended local schools, and obtained a BA in physical science and history from Goshen College, Indiana. He subsequently taught at Rockway Mennonite Collegiate in Kitchener before taking an assignment with the Mennonite Central Committee as director of their refugee assistance program in Hong Kong. Upon returning to Canada, he obtained a master’s degree in modern Chinese studies from University of Toronto before joining Canada’s Department of External Affairs where he served in the Foreign Service for the next 36 years.

Over his long career with External Affairs, Bruce regularly found himself in countries and situations that demanded logical thinking, tactful interactions, respectful exchanges, and a cool and calm demeanour. He was part of the Canadian Embassy staff in Beijing in 1974-1975 during the oppressive period in China following the Cultural Revolution. In 1989, he was back in Beijing following the Tiananmen Square crisis, another delicate political time, and served as Minister Counsellor for political affairs.

With his knowledge of the region, Bruce served as Canada’s Director for Korea, East Asia and Oceania, Director for China and Mongolia, and Director General for North Asia and the Pacific. His final role in Ottawa was as Director General for Security and Intelligence for the Department and missions abroad.

In the 1980s, during the Solidarity movement in Poland which challenged Communist rule and led to martial law, Bruce was in charge of the Canadian mission when communications with Canada had been severed. In the mid-1980s, Bruce was the point person in Canada’s discussions with the United States about curtailing cross-border acid rain emissions.

As Ambassador to the Czech Republic and Slovakia from 2003-2006, Bruce, on behalf of Canada’s Governor General, presented the Order of Canada to former dissident and then-president of the Czech Republic, Vaclav Havel.

Bruce Jutzi’s career has been a natural evolution of caring for people in his own community, and in various regions of the world. His education, attitudes and demeanour served him well when he found himself at the centre of several historic moments spanning the last 50 years. As the writer of one letter of support mentioned, Bruce’s career demonstrated mutual understanding and respect, attributes that he learned when growing up in Waterloo Region, and that he maintained through his various areas of diplomatic service. The writer concludes “Bruce Jutzi is a true son of the Waterloo Region.”