Calming Troubled Diplomatic Waters

(Halifax Chronicle-Herald – Lee-Anne Goodman, The Canadian Press)
Gary Doer has met hundreds of politicians in the U.S. capital in his first year as Canadian ambassador, educating the most powerful people in the most powerful nation on Earth about the importance of the Canada-U.S relationship. [...]

“When people say: ’You’ve left politics,’ after stepping down as premier, I say: ’Are you kidding me?’ There’s 435 of them down the street, and 30,000 lobbyists in this town,” he says with a rueful laugh. “The over-used term is it’s been the best of times and the worst of times ... it was a good year, public to public, Canadians and Americans are friends and neighbours, but there were obviously a lot of issues that I had to deal with. But I knew that coming in.” Read more here.

Canada Envoy in U.S. Cautious on Buy American Talks

(Reuters – Doug Palmer)

Canada’s new ambassador to the United States was cautious on Wednesday about chances of reaching a deal on “Buy American” provisions that have cost Canadian companies tens of millions of dollars in contracts. “I don’t want to say. You’ve got to ask the question, but I’ve got to be honest. We’re still working,” Canadian ambassador Gary Doer told Reuters after his first meeting with U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk. […]

Plans for a December meeting with Kirk were rescheduled after Doer was asked to join Canada’s delegation attending the global climate change talks in Copenhagen. While Doer was away, lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives included a similar Buy American provision in a $155 billion measure aimed at creating new U.S. jobs. The Senate is expected to take up that legislation after it returns from its break later this month. Read more here.

Tackling ‘Buy American’ Doer’s Toughest Task

(CBC News – The Canadian Press)

Former premier Gary Doer has returned to Manitoba to give his first speech in his home province as Canada’s new ambassador to the U.S. Doer told an audience of 750 at a chamber of commerce event in Winnipeg on Monday that his greatest challenge in Washington is the “Buy American” protectionist policy.

He said the policy might be politically popular, but trade barriers between Canada and the U.S. will do more harm than good. Doer said it’s important that Buy American ideals don’t lead to the U.S. becoming “Closed America” when it comes to trade.

“My view is it’s a lot of work. It’s very important to tie it back to where congressional people ... come from and what jobs in their district are tied to Canada, and that’s the only way to make the case,” Doer said. “If we close our trade relationship even a little bit, it will hurt both of us.”

Doer said he plans to travel to communities across the U.S. to talk about how protectionism will cost jobs. He’s also counting on a grassroots effort to maintain the open trade relationship Canada has with the United States. He said Americans might have other issues on their minds right now, but the economy is still tops for legislators.

Not Very Special

(Washington Times – James Morrison)

One of Canada’s best-known ambassadors in Washington offered a little unsolicited advice Wednesday to the new envoy from America’s northern neighbor, urging him to grab the spotlight, network like a lobbyist and learn all about the curious customs inside the Beltway.

Allan Gotlieb, ambassador to the United States from 1981 to 1989, told the new ambassador, Gary Doer, that nothing beats a good Rolodex, nobody pays attention to a shy diplomat and the 535 members of Congress are like 535 foreign ministers, each with a personal agenda and Canada low among their priorities.

“The threats are countless, the victories rare and the terrain treacherous for a foreign diplomat,” Mr. Gotlieb wrote in Canada’s Globe and Mail newspaper. “In Congress, ... Canada is just another special interest and not a very special one at that.”

Canada might be America’s largest supplier of foreign oil and its biggest trading partner, but Canada has no permanent friends or enemies in the House and Senate, he said. “Our allies on some issues are opponents on others,” Mr. Gotlieb wrote. “U.S. legislators are enfranchised by executive-like powers. Although Canada will usually remain far down on the list of their priorities, they are the leading source of most of our conflicts.” Read more here.

Q&A with Ambassador Gary Doer

(Canadian Business Online – Bryan Borzykowski)

Now that Gary Doer’s reign as Manitoba’s premier has come to an end, he can focus on his new gig – Canadian ambassador to the United States. Don’t think this is Doer’s way to settle into retirement, he’ll have to advance this country’s interests in a place that’s more focused on difficult domestic issues and wars abroad, than what its northern neighbours have to say. In this exclusive Q&A interview with Canadian Business Online, Doer talks about the Buy American clause, climate change and what he’ll miss most about Manitoba.

One of the most important cross-border issues facing Canadian businesses right now is the Buy American clause. How are you going to deal with that provision?

I’m only the designate – I’m not in the job yet. But what to I bring to the job in this respect? I have been engaged in this with all the premiers. I was with the prime minister in Quebec City with Premier Charest and Governor Jim Douglas a few months ago. We discussed this issue and the premiers got an agreement – we all came to the table on issue of principal reciprocity with U.S. states. But the prime minister raised the issue again with the president (recently). As ambassador I’ll be able to continue on the message as it’s given by the prime minister, the minister of trade and the minister of foreign affairs. It’s the job of ambassador to make sure the message is repeated and mutual opportunities continue to be repeated over and over again.

You have been outspoken about U.S.-Canada trade in the past.
I’ve always believed in lowering barriers for trade whether in Canada or with US. But, I know this from my experience as premier, you have to do what’s best in the mutual interest of both U.S. and Canada. You can’t ask for something that does not have a positive benefit for Americans as well.

Read the entire Q&A here.

Canada Names Social Democrat as Envoy to U.S.

(Video: CBC/Hudson Institute • Story: Reuters)



Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper on Friday named a member of the left-leaning New Democratic Party to be Canada’s new ambassador to the United States, as Ottawa seeks to keep trade flowing with its largest trading partner.

Harper said ambassador-designate Gary Doer had been “a strong advocate of both good, close and assertive relations with the United States.”Doer said on Thursday that he was stepping down as premier of the prairie province of Manitoba, but declined at that time to say what he would do next. Read more here.