Bermudian students at Canadian universities may soon get an extension on the amount of time allowed to stay in the country for job training upon graduation.

That, so far, is one of the results of a whirlwind visit to the Island by Canadian Consul General Pamela Wallin.

At a meeting with Labour Minister Terry Lister yesterday, Ms Wallin was asked about extending the period to more than the current two-year limit.

"That's something we're going to look at instantly," she told this newspaper. "We've got a great education system and I'd like to see that broadened a bit. Bermuda's obviously looking for a more sophisticated workforce in the future. So I think it will be important to strengthen those ties."

Ms Wallin, one of Canada's most respected broadcast and print journalists, was appointed Consul General to New York in July last year.

Besides New York the posting takes in Bermuda, New Jersey and Connecticut.

"It's an adventure of sorts," she said when asked why she accepted the post. "There's no question New York is at an incredible moment of history so that was very appealing. It appealed to my journalistic sense as an observer of monumental changes."

The terrorist attacks on the US, which killed more than 3,000 people in New York City, had had a strong impact on the psyche of New Yorkers, she said.

And much of it is positive. "People are more attuned to each other and I think there's been a return to basics, core values. But you are also dealing with people who are living on the edge and you have to be aware of that, no matter what the conversation is."

She added her journalistic skills are particularly useful as a New York based diplomat in a post 9/11 world.

"This is a difficult time with everybody's relationship with the United States."

Canada has been critical of the United States' policy on Iraq, insisting on a multilateral approach through the United Nations to resolve the crisis.

"We're friends and allies and that is not going to change," Ms Wallin said. "But 'friends' doesn't mean you always agree. And I think we've tried to be consistent on this. Canada has always supported multilateralism. Supporting the UN is not new."

Canadian diplomacy is also working hard to resolve some kinks in a new US visa policy for Canadian immigrants from a number of Commonwealth countries.

Effective Tuesday the policy requires Bermudian and Canadian nationals from all but a handful of Commonwealth countries to apply for visas to visit the United States.

"A lot of the rules have changed in the 9/11 world and we are trying to sort out what that means for people," Ms Wallin said.

She said that there was some anecdotal evidence suggesting that Canadian nationals who were born in certain countries have had problems getting into the United States.