Last night Julie and I had dinner at my house with the new Commander of NORAD and NORTHCOM, Admiral James “Sandy” Winnefeld. Among those who joined us were General Natynczyk and his wife Leslie, Brigadier General Perry Matte and his wife Sue, and Vice Admiral Donaldson and his wife Ginny (who is trying to turn my wife into a golfer!). Admiral Winnefeld has just taken over the command from Gen. Renuart who has retired after a distinguished 39 year career. I can assure you that things in Colorado Springs are in good hands.

I had a very busy day today. At breakfast I met with a visiting group from PNWER, the Pacific Northwest Economic Region regional U.S.-Canadian forum. We talked about trade, border and energy issues which are important everywhere in both countries. But they are of particular concern out west. PNWER is a model for regional and bi-national cooperation in the line of “think global, act local.”

At lunch I was privileged to speak to the Association of Former Parliamentarians. I talked about the economic situation in the United States and its implications for Canada. I then – with some trepidation – answered questions. As I told the group, it is a little intimidating to have “question period” with a group of former Parliamentarians. And I can assure you, those in attendance haven’t lost a step on the Q&A front.

I then drove to Montreal to attend the Economic Forum of the Americas. It was great to see so many friends. I was seated between Hélène Desmarais and Shaukat Aziz, the former Prime Minister of Pakistan. We had a great discussion about American, Canadian, and Pakistani politics. You don’t get to do that very often.

Tomorrow it’s off to Windsor.

DJ