Yesterday we drove from Banff to Calgary (beautiful) and then flew to Toronto (long). After attending a meeting with Toronto business leaders, the Consul General in Toronto, Kevin Johnson, and I went to the opening night game between the Raptors and the Cleveland Cavaliers with Lebron James and his new teammate Shaq. We were joined by former Canadian Ambassador to the US Frank McKenna and Rob Prichard, the President of Metrolinx and the former President of the University of Toronto. As you have probably seen, the Raptors won a great game that was closer than the 10 point score at the end. It was great fun. The Air Canada Center was rocking. Reminded me of the glory days of Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls at the United Center.
This morning we met with the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, David Onley. I had a very interesting discussion with the Lieutenant Governor, who is a champion of disability rights issues, about the comparison in the laws and attitudes toward people with disabilities in the US and Canada. I shared stories with him about my relationship with a dear friend in the White House who was himself disabled and who taught me a great deal about the issues faced by people with disabilities.
I then went off to the Economic Club of Canada where I gave a speech about the state of the relationship between the United States and Canada. Before the speech, I had a chance to visit with Mayor Vic Fedeli of North Bay, Ontario – who was sporting his traditional non-partisan yellow tie — and Mayor Rick Bonnette of Halton Hills, Ontario. Both mayors have been active in reaching across the border to their counterparts in US cities and towns to discuss the impacts of Buy America on their economies. We had good and cordial discussions of the issue. I explained to both that the President is a firm believer in free trade. I was pleased we were able to meet.
I then had an opportunity to meet with Premier McGuinty of Ontario. We discussed a variety of issues which impact on Ontario. And we traded stories about our first car trips across the border. The Premier has a hilarious story about how his parents took their eight kids (two more were subsequently born) in the station wagon and drove to Florida. By mistake they left the Premier’s four year old brother at a gas station after a rest stop. The Premier noted that had there been a democratic vote among the remaining kids in the car, they might have continued on to Florida. However, his father reasserted control and went back. The Premier’s fondness for the people of the United States was sealed when he saw that two kind-hearted gas station attendants had taken such good care of his little brother “who was no worse for wear.” I told him about my trip with my family from Chicago to Niagara Falls when my dad stopped the car on the line on the Ambassador Bridge.
Last night I was privileged to present three awards to Dr. Richard Losick, Dr. Lucy Shapiro and Dr. Peter Walter at the 50th annual Gairdner Awards dinner. Dr. John Dirks, the President of the Gairdner Foundation explained that 69 of the former Gairdner award winners had subsequently received Nobel Prizes. To celebrate the 50th anniversary many of the past awardees were in the room. Dr. Dirks noted that it was perhaps the greatest collection of scientific minds in a single room in the history of Canada. I can assure you he was not looking my way when he said that!
DJ