Archive for the ‘May 2012’ Category

May 2, 2012: Ottawa

Wednesday, May 9th, 2012

Over the last two days I have attended two events which reminded me of how far we have come in the last few generations.

On Monday evening I spoke to the Bora Laskin Law Society.  To be honest, before Monday I didn’t know who Bora Laskin was. But I did some research and I learned Laskin had been the Chief Justice of the Canadian Supreme Court from 1973-1984. I also learned that because he was Jewish, despite an exemplary academic record, he could not find a job in a good Canadian law firm. So he went into teaching law.  As time went on, his abilities shone through and he went on to a distinguished career.

I am familiar with a similar story in my country. (In fact there are probably thousands across North America.) William Coleman graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Pennsylvania. He then went to Harvard Law School where he graduated Magna Cum Laude. Despite that record, he could not get a legal job in his native Philadelphia — because he was African American. So he commuted back and forth every day on the train to New York where he worked at Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison, the law firm where I started my career. Coleman worked with Thurgood Marshall on what became the landmark Supreme Court case of Brown v. Board of Education, which struck down separate schools for blacks and whites. He went on be an illustrious career that included serving as the United States Secretary of Transportation.

Then on Tuesday morning I attended the Canadian National Prayer Breakfast. It was a wonderful event with participants from every religion. It emphasized one of the things that clearly separates places like Canada and the United States from many places in the world. While we all value our religions, we respect the rights of others to practice theirs. And we reach across religious lines in government. In the private sector. In our daily lives.

DJ

 

Tags: , , , , , , , ,
Posted in May 2012 |

May 8, 2012: Ottawa

Tuesday, May 8th, 2012

Like I’m sure many of you did, I took some time to pause and reflect on the tragedy of the Titanic 100 years ago off the coast of Newfoundland. There are so many stories about the Titanic that we are all familiar with. There are those about the ship’s encounter with the iceberg, the more than 1,500 victims of the disaster, and the countless accounts of bravery both during and after the accident. Then there are many more untold accounts none of us will ever know.

Juniper Titanic ceremony

These stories, like the Titanic itself, were lost to the icy waters of the North Atlantic more than a century ago. In the midst of these stories we know all too well and those we will never hear, there are others that have slipped from our collective memories of the Titanic over the years, only to be revived on the occasion of the disaster’s 100th anniversary. The history of the International Ice Patrol is one such story.

In the months following the Titanic’s sinking, the international community came together to create the International Convention on the Safety of Life at Sea and the International Ice Patrol in an effort to improve maritime safety. The mission of the Ice Patrol was simple – keep shipping lanes open by directing vessels around large icebergs like the one that sank the Titanic. Today, the United States Coast Guard operates the Ice Patrol with the cooperation and funding from 13 nations, including Canada. Thanks to their efforts, not a single ship heeding Ice Patrol warnings has struck an iceberg since it was established in 1914. Our partnership with the Canadian Ice Service and the Canadian Coast Guard is a model of international cooperation and helps ensure that critical maritime safety issues are addressed.

Juniper Titanic ceremony

The United States Coast Guard and the Canadian Ice Patrol paid tribute to the Titanic victims on April 14 during a special ceremony over the site where the Titanic sank 100 years earlier. Together, our servicemen and women scattered more than 1.5 million rose petals over the area marking the victims’ final resting place. The solemn event was another reminder of all we lost that tragic day in 1912. Our unified response then and now was a reminder of all that we have gained.

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in May 2012 |

May 1, 2012: Ottawa

Friday, May 4th, 2012

As the people who work with me at the United States Embassy will tell you – often to their dismay – I love statistics.  I am always asking for new ones.  Here are some trade statistics I got recently that I thought you might find interesting.

This chart shows the percentage of growth in Canadian exports to Canada’s  top 20 export markets during 2011.

Percent Increase in Canadian Exports - Top 20 Export Markets

I would have to concede that the U.S. gain – about 15% — seems small in comparison to some other countries.  But to put that in perspective, you have to look at the next chart which shows the dollar gains in Canadian exports in 2011.

Total Change in Exports - Top 20 Canadian Export Destinations

The dollar gains in Canadian exports to the United States of $43.3 billion were $39 billion more than the dollar gains of Canadian exports to China, the next closest country, and twice as much as the dollar gains of Canadian exports to the rest of the world combined. In fact, the dollar gains of Canadian exports to the United States in 2011 exceeded total Canadian exports to China, Japan, Mexico and South Korea combined.

One other chart is worth noting.  Much is made of the fact that Canadian exports to the United States shrank in 2009 – the worst economic year since the Great Depression.  Since 1960 exports have gone down four times and they have gone up 47 times.  Which I think shows that we are a pretty reliable trading partner for our Canadian neighbors.

Percent Change in CA Exports to US

The percentage of Canadian exports to the United States has indeed shrunk over the past nine years, from a high of 87% to 74%.  But only because Canadian exports to other countries are growing quickly.  The rest of the world is getting stronger economically, and Canada – along with the United States – is benefiting from it.

As I often say in speeches, people have not done well over the last 250 years betting against the United States of America.  I strongly doubt that long-term trend fell off a cliff in 2009.  Stay tuned!!

DJ

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in May 2012 |