Posts Tagged ‘Border’

June 14, 2012: Economic Statecraft Day

Thursday, June 14th, 2012

Today is Global Economic Statecraft Day. When I heard that the U.S. State Department would be celebrating this day, my first thought was “every day in Canada is Economic Statecraft Day.” Our job is to help keep the wheels of the largest trading relationship in the world rolling and Economic Statecraft is how we do that. Our team at the Embassy in Ottawa and our seven consulates throughout Canada work tirelessly to ensure that the $1.8 billion in trade that crosses our shared border every day continues to flow in both directions and that the U.S.-Canadian economic relationship thrives.

I am in Vancouver today, meeting with business leaders to learn more about the business climate in British Columbia, opportunities to enhance bilateral cooperation on trade issues, and views on regulatory and border issues including the Regulatory Cooperation Council and Beyond the Border initiatives.

So what is Economic Statecraft, not just today, but every day? Economic Statecraft is Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s vision to put economics at the forefront of U.S. foreign policy. It means using smart economic foreign policy to promote the North American marketplace. It is a realization that security and prosperity are shaped in boardrooms and trading floors as well as in capital buildings and international summits. In Canada, Economic Statecraft means ensuring that our tremendous economic interdependence strengthens our relationships with each other and in the world.

In The Lexus and the Olive Tree, award-winning journalist Thomas Friedman wrote that no two countries with a McDonald’s restaurant have ever gone to war. This reflects an important point that economic interdependence breeds peace and stability. This, at its core, is Economic Statecraft and there is no better example of successful economic statecraft than in the U.S.-Canada relationship. Our trillion dollar trade and investment relationship creates close political and social connections and these political and social connections lead to even more trade. This “virtuous cycle” of friendships creating trade and trade creating friendships is exactly what Economic Statecraft is all about.

DJ

December 7, 2011: Beyond the Border: A Shared Vision for Perimeter Security and Economic Competitiveness

Wednesday, December 7th, 2011

I have just come from the Oval Office, where President Obama and Prime Minister Harper took our relationship to the next level as they announced the Action Plans for Beyond the Border: A Shared Vision for Perimeter Security and Economic Competitiveness.

The United States and Canada have long been the best of neighbors, friends, partners, and allies. Based on foundations of mutual reliance and respect we have built prosperity at home while standing shoulder-to-shoulder defending our shared values around the world. We have long understood that if we work together we are stronger, more prosperous, and more competitive.

President Barack Obama and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper arrive to speak in the South Court Auditorium on the White House complex in Washington, Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2011


Building on that spirit, in February we set forth a plan for the future of North America. We committed to a shared vision for perimeter security and economic competitiveness. We agreed to work together within, at, and away from our borders to enhance our security, better coordinate our regulatory systems, and accelerate the legitimate flow of people, goods and services. We rejected the false choice between security and efficiency at the border. We realized that by improving the efficiency of the border in smart ways we would enhance the security of North America while lifting the standard of living of our people. We promised to consult with our citizens and to deliver a detailed Action Plan to realize our vision. Today we deliver on that promise.

In 1961, President Kennedy had the opportunity to address the Canadian Parliament. He famously said: “what unites us is far greater than what divides us.” With the actions we take today between our two great countries that statement was never more true.

I invite you to read all about the action plans and what they involve here. We’ve posted all the documents and fact sheets from the United States Government and I’m writing to invite you to learn as much as you can about the plan and what it involves. I invite your comments here and welcome your suggestions and support.

DJ

July 7, 2011: Navigating the Largest Trading Corridor in the World

Thursday, July 7th, 2011

The Detroit-Windsor trade corridor serves as the backbone to the world’s strongest economic partnership. The U.S. and Canada enjoy the largest and most comprehensive trading relationship found between any two states in the world with over $1 trillion in annual trade and investment.  U.S. trade with Canada totaled more than $520 billion in 2010.  Many people don’t realize it, but U.S. exports to Canada exceeded U.S. exports to China, Japan, South Korea and Singapore combined.

Last week I navigated that critical Detroit-Windsor trade corridor with members of the President’s Export Council (PEC) on their first international foray.  PEC members consulted with a group of vibrant Detroit area small- and medium-sized enterprises and met with the CEO representing the Canadian Council of Chief Executives and Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters to investigate what has made the U.S-Canadian trading relationship so strong.

It’s only appropriate that PEC members’ first international foray should be to Canada.  If we are going to meet President Obama’s National Export Initiative goal of doubling exports by 2014, Canada will figure prominently in that effort.  Increased U.S./Canada trade benefits both countries’ economies, jobs outlook and future growth.  U.S. exports to Canada increased by $44 billion in 2010 – up 22 percent.

We asked some of the best minds in the U.S. and Canadian business worlds to tell us what we can take from the success of the U.S.-Canadian commercial relationship that may be helpful in creating supply chain opportunities in other countries.  We discussed ideas on how to bolster cross-border trade and reduce the bureaucracy that slows down the movement of goods and people at our borders.

We talked about the importance of the North American competitiveness and steps the U.S. and Canada can take together to improve the efficiency of our marketplace.  This includes finding ways to constantly improve the flow of trade across our mutual border as well as investment in border crossing infrastructure such as new customs facilities, new and upgraded bridges, roads and tunnels.  An important focus was on what can be done to smooth the export process for small and medium businesses.

The PEC members will report back to President Obama on what they have heard last week in order for the U.S, and Canadian governments to incorporate the ideas into our border and regulatory cooperation initiatives.

By the end of business today, more than $1.4 billion dollars in merchandise will travel through the Detroit-Windsor trade corridor.

Tomorrow – it’s $1.4 billion and counting.

April 27, 2011: Devil’s Lake, North Dakota and Morris, Manitoba

Friday, April 29th, 2011

The last couple of days I traveled in Manitoba and North Dakota and saw a disaster in slow motion.

Since I arrived in Canada I have spent a lot of time addressing the flooding in this part of the United States and Canada. I decided I needed to see it for myself to better understand what is going on. And what better time than as the floodwaters crested.

Ambassador Jacobson learns about the floods in Manitoba and North Dakota

For anyone who has never seen this type of flooding, it is hard to describe. It brings to mind biblical times.

I saw two separate but related types of flooding.

In much of Manitoba and North Dakota there are “spring floods.” These are not like the spring floods where I come from where there are a few puddles and a basement or two gets flooded. These are towns and roads and farms disappearing. Water extending over what is usually dry land for as far as the eye can see. Seasonal flooding like this, while destructive — and this is another particularly bad year — can be prepared for. For example, the floodway in Winnipeg.

We also saw a more permanent type of flooding at Devil’s Lake which occurs because there is no natural outlet for all the water during wet cycles like the one we’re in.

We started in Winnipeg where many roads were out. But we finally made it south to Morris, Manitoba. We stood on the levy on the Morris River. I am told that during the summer you can walk across the Morris River. In summer, the bridge near where we stood is normally 20 feet above the river. What we saw today looked quite different. The bridge was submerged. There was a dike built across the road to connect the permanent levees on both sides. And there was water everywhere. Farms, houses, a cemetery, everything was under water.

Floods in Morris, Manitoba

We continued down Highway 75 which was down to one lane, and stopped at the border crossing at Pembina for a quick tour.

Floods in Morris, Manitoba

We then drove several hours south to Devil’s Lake. There was massive flooding on and off for the whole trip. But nothing we saw could prepare us for Devil’s Lake.

Floods in Morris, Manitoba

In the 1940′s after the drought during the Depression, Devil’s Lake was almost dry. Our tour guide remembers riding a horse across what was then open farm country and what is now water as far as the eye can see. The problem is that while water can run into Devil’s Lake, there is no natural run off. So as the rains came the lake expanded. Since the early 90′s the lake has quadrupled in size, rising more than 28 feet and inundating 138,000 acres. Miles of road have been lost, making access for school buses, supplies, and commuting difficult and time-consuming. In just this past week, the lake has risen a foot. Unlike the situation elsewhere in North Dakota and Manitoba, when the spring floods recede — which they will — Devil’s Lake won’t go down. The land is lost until the rainy periods abate (years or decades) or until we can develop some sort of a man-made solution.

Joe Belford, County Commissioner from Ramsey County, ND, took us on an extended tour around the lake. We saw hundreds of homes, tens of thousands of acres of family farms, streets, and businesses which had literally disappeared. It is heart breaking.

One scene — however — stands out in my mind. We were going through one of the many neighborhoods that were in the process of disappearing. Most of the houses were gone. A school was about to flood. (Someone asked why they would build a school so close to the lake. The answer is that when it was built it was 9 miles from the lake.) There was one house still standing with an elderly couple in the front yard raking the lawn. Joe said: “See, they aren’t giving up.” Their perseverance will — I hope — give the rest of us the inspiration to keep working until we come up with a solution to this difficult problem.

Today we drove back from Devil’s Lake and stopped at the Pembina Dike which is just on the Canadian side of the border. There is a long-standing dispute as to whether it is a road (arguably proper) or a dike to divert water (not proper). I’ll let you decide from the pictures. But I must say I didn’t see much (any) traffic.

One positive note. In Manitoba on the road north we saw huge wind farms. The commitment to alternative energy was literally an island of hope in a sea of despair.

We then drove the rest of the way back to Winnipeg where I had lunch with Manitoba Premier Greg Selinger. We had productive discussions about flooding and other issues and then went on a helicopter tour of the Winnipeg Floodway which was built to reroute part of the Red River around Winnipeg. We were told that because it spares the city from most of the flooding it has saved $30 billion since it was built.

Ambassador Jacobson boarding a helicopter to view the floods

While the city itself is dry, much of the surrounding area is not. When we headed south toward Morris and beyond we could see how the Red River — typically a few hundred yards wide — extended for MANY miles. It looked more like a huge lake than a river. It took my breath away.

A helicopter view of the floods in the Red River, Winnipeg

I’m now on my way back to Ottawa with a much better understanding of what the people in this part of the world are enduring and with a new found energy to help try to address their problems.

DJ

February 24, 2011 — Toronto

Sunday, February 27th, 2011

I was at the Toronto car show to see the new cars and to meet with a group of auto industry leaders about the Canada – U.S. regulatory cooperation effort. While we are still developing the agenda, one of the first places we’re likely to start is with autos. It is the most integrated part of our economy (the average car goes back and forth across the border about seven times during production). And the cost of regulatory differences is huge.

Speaking with auto industry leaders at the Toronto Car Show

I was joined by several colleagues from the Embassy and our Toronto Consulate. On the Canadian side, I was joined by Ambassador Doer, Environment Minister Kent, and representatives of several ministries. We heard many good suggestions on how we can achieve our goals and how we can get started quickly.

No one attending these meetings could have any doubt that both our governments, in partnership with the private sector, are committed to achieving success in overcoming the “tyranny of small differences.”

I also got a chance both yesterday and in a trip last week to see the new cars. I have been a fan of cars and car shows for years. This one really showed me how North American manufacturers have dramatically improved their product lines. There are now more practical reasons than ever — not just national pride — to buy a car made in North America.

DJ

July 13, 2010 – Washington, D.C.

Monday, July 19th, 2010

I went to D.C. for a meeting last week with Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano, Minister of Public Safety Vic Toews, Ambassador Gary Doer and others, to discuss how the United States and Canada can work together to protect North America. I have often said that it is a false choice between security and efficiency. If we’re creative and smart, we can have both. Part of that will require that we view the border as the last line of defense, and not the first.

Today’s meeting was a step in that direction. Minister Toews and Secretary Napolitano meet at least twice a year to discuss common issues. And their staffs work together on a daily basis both in Ottawa and in Washington. A product of that effort was a set of four agreements between the United States and Canada and we will continue to work together on our strategic relationship here in North America.

While I was in D.C., I used the opportunity to meet with several of my friends and colleagues at the State Department, the Department of Homeland Security, and the White House. While it was great to see so many people, one bears special mention. My good friend Norm Eisen is currently Special Counsel to the President in the White House Counsel’s Office. But he is about to move on. He was recently nominated by the President as the next Ambassador to the Czech Republic.

While I am happy for Norm (and the people in the Czech Republic, to say nothing of the American people) his appointment is a particularly poignant one. During World War II Norm’s mother, who now lives on the West Coast, was deported from Czechoslovakia to a Nazi concentration camp in Germany. While she survived, many of her family members and friends did not. After the war, she came to live in the United States.

There is something special about the fact that her son, a brilliant lawyer who was a friend and classmate of the President, is returning to his family’s homeland as the United States Ambassador.
DJ

March 3, 2010 – The Olympic Experience

Thursday, March 4th, 2010

The 2010 Vancouver Olympics have ended! I would have loved to have written sooner but I got caught up in the Olympic rings! Too many events. Not enough time.

I am very proud of the United States which won more medals than any team in Winter Olympic history. And I am very proud of my host country, Canada, which – as you all know – won more gold medals at a Winter Olympics than any team ever.

I also want to congratulate my Canadian friends on winning that gold medal in men’s hockey. What a game! One moment – which captured the spirit of the games – was when Prime Minister Harper invited our U.S. Presidential delegation to meet with him before the game. No politics. We just talked hockey and how much fun we were all having in Vancouver. We were kept advised, however, of the ongoing negotiations between the President and the Prime Minister on their hockey bet. It turned out the stakes were a case of the oldest beer in Canada, Molson’s, against the oldest beer in the U.S., Yuengling. Unfortunately, they will be drinking Molson’s in the Prime Minister’s Office.

The U.S. Delegation with Prime Minister Harper

The U.S. Delegation with Prime Minister Harper


Our closing delegation had a wonderful time. This group was headed by Janet Napolitano, the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, and included Kathleen Sebelius, the Secretary of Health and Human Services; Susan Rice, the United States Ambassador to the United Nations; speed skating legend Bonnie Blair (5 golds and one bronze); Kristi Yamaguchi, gold medal figure skater, TV commentator and Dancing with the Stars winner; Manny Guerra Jr., goalie and gold medalist in sledge hockey at the Paralympics and a member of every Olympic sledge hockey team the US has ever fielded; and Peter Axelson, world champion in downhill and inventor of the mono-ski.

Before the Games were over I had the opportunity to attend the Financial Times Global Business Leaders Forum and Pacific Northwest Economic Region (PNWER) Roundtable Dialogue on the U.S.-Canada Border – both successful, informative and important in fostering dialogue between the U.S. and Canada. I also made a quick stopover in Victoria to give a speech on American foreign policy. While we were there, we made a memorable stop for breakfast at a small restaurant called Cabin 12. They had read my blog and wrote to me inviting us to come with coffee mugs – hopefully from the U.S. They have a completely unmatched set – kind of like we use at home. We hadn’t told them we were coming and they were – to put it mildly – a little surprised. The highlight was when the cook came out and told us he was very nervous when he was cooking since he had never cooked for an Ambassador before. I assured him it didn’t affect his performance. Everything was great. We all posed for pictures and it was great fun.

Ambassador Jacobson and Mrs. Jacobson at the Cabin 12 Restaurant

Ambassador Jacobson and Mrs. Jacobson at the Cabin 12 Restaurant


We also paid a visit to the Coast Guard Cutter Long Island which is part of the security at the Olympics. Julie and I got a tour of the 110 foot ship and met the captain and the crew. When we approached the ship I stood at attention, faced the flag on the stern, placed my hand on my heart, and asked the captain for permission to come aboard. After he granted it a bell rang and we climbed up the ladder. Never thought I’d be able to do that.
The Coast Guard Cutter Long Island Crew and Ambassador Jacobson

The Coast Guard Cutter Long Island Crew and Ambassador Jacobson


Before all was said and done I also sat for an interview with 14 year old Scholastic Kids Press reporter Daniel Wetter with his mom as the camera person. The interview will go out to 7 million school kids across the U.S. I was so impressed I asked him if he would come along with me to a TV interview later in the day with Shaw’s Fanny Keifer. It was good to see Fanny again (my second appearance). Daniel had a real thrill when Premier Gordon Campbell – who was going on after me – gave Daniel a chance to ask a few questions. Exclusive interviews with the Premier of British Columbia and the U.S. Ambassador are not a bad day’s work for a 14 year old journalist. I suspect you will be hearing more from Daniel over the years.
Daniel Wetter, Scholastic Kids Press Corps Journalist

Daniel Wetter, Scholastic Kids Press Corps Journalist


Scholastic Kids Press Corps Journalist Daniel Wetter Interviews the Ambassador

Scholastic Kids Press Corps Journalist Daniel Wetter Interviews the Ambassador

Our two weeks in British Columbia were a once in a lifetime experience. Not only did we have a great time, and not only did we see so many great events, we had a chance to watch firsthand the joy and the pride of our Canadian hosts. So much has been written about the transformation of the Canadian culture over the last two weeks. I don’t know what will last or how it will affect the country. But I can say – as an outsider – that it was a treat to experience it. I said before I got to Vancouver that I hoped the people of the United States and others around the world have a chance during the Olympics to see what Julie and I have seen since we got here in October. That Canada is a beautiful country with wonderful people. I am confident that they saw that. And more.
DJ

January 8, 2010 – St. Stephen, New Brunswick

Monday, January 11th, 2010

I got up early today to come back to St. Stephen, New Brunswick for the grand opening of the new border crossing station there. I was here in November for the opening of the new facility on the other side of the bridge in Calais, Maine. This is the busiest border crossing point between New England and Atlantic Canada. Some things are worth doing. Some things are worth doing twice.

Travel to and from the United States has received a lot of attention lately. As you know, on Christmas Day, a terrorist tried to blow up an airplane with almost 300 people on board.

President Obama has been upfront that there was a systemic failure on our part. He has directed a number of immediate actions for our intelligence services and to improve aviation screening and security. But as the President has said, even the best intelligence can’t identify in advance every individual who would do us harm. It’s going to take partnerships, between nations, between law enforcement agencies, and even between travelers and the security forces in order to achieve the proper balance between security and efficiency.

That attempted attack has rekindled that debate and I thought about it as I again visited this new state-of-the-art facility.

If we are smart – If we are efficient – If we invest in infrastructure and technology – we can have more security and more efficiency.

Canada and the United States have made, and will continue to make, huge investments in our border infrastructure, much of which dates back to before World War II. But a lot has changed since then. Much of the old infrastructure is inadequate for today’s needs. Calais and St. Stephen – with these twin state-of-the-art facilities – should be the model. The model for a border system that allows the legitimate transit of people and goods while insuring the safety of the people from both of our countries.

And we should make those state–of-the-art facilities green like Calais-St. Stephen.

I have visited a number of border crossings as I have traveled across Canada. I have met with folks from the United States CBP and the Canadian CBSA and stood next to them as they did their jobs.

I have never failed to be impressed by their effort, by their dedication, by their professionalism. Often under difficult circumstances.

Congratulations everyone involved on the opening of this great new facility.

DJ

November 23, 2009 – Fredericton, New Brunswick

Tuesday, November 24th, 2009

Well, I asked for it. Yesterday and today we drove 1200 KM around Atlantic Canada. We started in Halifax, drove to Charlottetown on P.E.I., drove to Fredericton in New Brunswick, drove to Calais, Maine, and then drove back to Fredericton. I have definitely seen a lot of the Atlantic Provinces on the ground. While my staff may be ready to kill me, I had a blast and I got a good – if a little hectic – sense of the place.

Last night the U.S. Consul General and I had dinner with Premier Shawn Graham and his wife Roxanne. Roxanne lived in Japan for 9 years. She made us a GREAT Japanese dinner. I kept thinking of my friend John Roos who is the U.S. Ambassador to Japan. If he’s eating like this every night he will come home weighing 300 pounds. We had a good discussion about the Hydro-Quebec/New Brunswick Power deal. I have now heard about it from the perspectives of the Premiers of Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland and Labrador. Premier Graham and I also discussed the long running disagreement between the U.S. and Canada about the right of passage through Head Harbor for tankers at a proposed LNG facility in Passamaquoddy Bay, Maine. Lively night.

The Ambassador at dinner with Premier Graham of New Brunswick and his wife Roxanne Reeves

The Ambassador at dinner with Premier Graham of New Brunswick and his wife Roxanne Reeves


This morning we got up early to drive to Calais, Maine, for the dedication of a new state of the art border crossing facility which has been under discussion since the 1970s. The drive was magnificent. Rolling hills. Fast moving rivers. And millions of beautiful pine trees that were covered in frost. It looked like the front of a Christmas card.

Among the people who attended the dedication at Calais were Senator Collins and Congressman Michaud. As I said in my remarks, I do not believe we have to make the false choice between border security and convenience. If we are smart, if our two countries cooperate, and if we invest in the necessary infrastructure, we can have both.

Many of the border facilities predate World War II. For example, the two existing crossings between Calais, Maine and St. Stephen, New Brunswick were built early in the 20th century. Those old facilities are simply not designed to deal with the challenges we face today. Investments in infrastructure and technology on both sides of the boarder – like the new facility at Calais – are what we need in order to protect our countries without impeding the free flow of law abiding people and safe goods.

Ambassador Jacobson at the ribbon cutting for the new border crossing in Calais, Maine

Ambassador Jacobson at the ribbon cutting for the new border crossing in Calais, Maine


I also can’t let pass the opportunity to give praise to Emily Ginn. She is a Junior at Calais High School and she gave a stirring a cappella rendition of the Star Spangled Banner.

While we were at the border, we had a chance to stop by the Ganong Brothers Chocolate Factory in St. Stephen. I loaded up with their signature ‘chicken bones’ and more than my share of chocolate creams. Thanksgiving is starting early for me.

Ambassador Jacobson at the the Ganong Chocolate Factory Store in St. Stephen, New Brunswick

Ambassador Jacobson at the the Ganong Chocolate Factory Store in St. Stephen, New Brunswick


After we returned to Fredericton we were treated to a private tour of the New Brunswick Legislative Assembly Building. And we had a chance to meet the Speaker, Hon. Roy Boudreau. There was a special moment when we arrived. Flying on the flagpole in front of the building was the Stars and Stripes! I was moved by this kind gesture toward my country.

Then it was off to meet with the new Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick, Gaydon Nicholas. He was the first Aboriginal person to receive a law degree in Atlantic Canada, graduating in 1971. Prior to his appointment, he served for 18 years as a provincial judge. We had an interesting discussion of the challenges as well as the opportunities that confront First Nations and aboriginal people in Canada. We also talked about cooperation between communities in Canada and the U.S.

I am now off to Washington, D.C. to meet with U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and Canadian Minister of Public Safety Peter Van Loan to talk about cooperative efforts in securing North America.

Fortunately, I’m not going to Washington by car!!!
DJ