DR. ERIKA V. C. BRUCE

(nee Göetz, March 16, 1937 – January 23, 2026) Erika passed away in Ottawa, at the age of 88, after a brief illness. She was predeceased by her beloved husband, Geoffrey F. Bruce (a distinguished Canadian diplomat); and her brother, Ernst Robert Göetz. Erika is survived by her stepsons, David and Ian; stepdaughter, Karen; and nephews, Stefan and Rainer. Erika's father was Ernst Göetz, and her mother was Margarete Göetz (nee Zinner). Born in Austria, Erika and her parents were staunchly Austrian and anti-Nazi. Despite having fled Austria, as the Russian army advanced, Erika's parents were determined that she would have opportunities to learn the skills to be independent and able to support herself. Erika continued her studies in piano, ballet, drama, art, and languages both in England and France. She immigrated to Canada in 1967 and gained Canadian citizenship in 1973. As well as her love of the arts, Erika also loved literature and language and she was fluent in English, French, German and very capable in Spanish, Italian and Portuguese. She was exceptionally well-read in a wide variety of subjects and genres. And her academic achievements included a Master of Arts in archaeology (Sir Wilfred Laurier University) and a Doctorate in Political Economics and Business (Vienna). Erika's appreciation for, and deep knowledge, of the arts, especially opera, served her well as a cultural affairs correspondent for a major German newspaper (Die Abendzeitung, Munich), and later in life with Geoffrey, as consistent donors (Director's Circle) to Canada's National Arts Centre. In 2018 Erika gifted the J.E.H. MacDonald painting Distant Mountain (1928) to the National Gallery of Canada. She also served the Gallery as a Chair of the Board of Trustees. Erika's academic credentials and professional experiences and writing skills were evident in her position as the Director of Information and Press, NATO, Brussels in the early 1990s. She was responsible for NATO's formulation and implementation of all activities that promoted public understanding and support for NATO member countries; for example, she wrote an article, published in the NATO Review in 1994, entitled NATO's Information Activities at a Time of Increasing Demands and Dwindling Resources. The past held great interest for Erika, especially when she worked as an archeologist (excavations at Anemurium near Anamur in Turkey) and researcher, with the Canada Council, in the late 1960s and early 1970s. However, Erika was also very interested in Canada's economic, political and environmental future, especially the future stewardship of Canada's water resources. Erika did not want Canada's water resources to ever become a dwindling resource, and this interest was a major driving force in both her and Geoffrey's lives. Erika believed that Canada's freshwater is a strategic resource that impacts significant aspects of our national security, transportation and relationships with many communities. Consequently, in 2017, Erika founded, in honour of her husband, the Bruce Fellowships in Environment and Canadian Freshwater Policy at Toronto Metropolitan University. The Bruce Fellowships enable both graduate and postdoctoral researchers to focus on creating freshwater policies to support environmental conservation; and it also provides Canadian leadership opportunities, with respect to freshwater policies, in all levels of Canadian governance. Throughout her lifetime of important and interesting professional experiences, Erika believed and supported the ideal that all politics is dialogue which emphasizes that democratic governance relies on an open exchange of ideas, negotiation of interests and constructive communication. And her professional vision was also a personal practice. Erika hosted many delightful dinner parties with friends, neighbours and colleagues. The dinner conversations were interesting and insightful, often remarkable, and always memorable. She will be missed. A Celebration of Life will acknowledge and honour Erika's life and many achievements on June 17th at the National Arts Centre, Rossy Pavillion, between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. Please confirm attendance via email (erikavcbruce88@mnpc.ca).