Posts Tagged ‘Canada’

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October 2, 2012: Ottawa

Wednesday, October 3rd, 2012

Three years ago today I presented my credentials to the Governor General of Canada to become the 22nd United States Ambassador to Canada.  The last three years have proven what I have said so many times: I have the best job in the United States Government.

Since I arrived I have traveled far and wide in Canada.  I have literally dipped my toes into three oceans.  I have seen cities and towns.  Farms and prairies.  Lakes and mountains.

I have had the privilege of meeting with so many of the Canadian people from every walk of life.  Government officials and business leaders.  Generals and head of NGO’s.  Shop keepers and small business owners.  Factory workers and farmers.

I’ve had Christmas dinner with soldiers in Afghanistan.  Walked with wounded warriors.  I have learned to cross country ski and curl.  I have rooted for your sports teams – unless they are playing ours.  I have eaten your food and drunk your wine.  I’ve come to love Tim Bits.

While I always hesitate to say I have been everywhere and have met everyone, I can say that I have covered a lot of ground and met a lot of people.  I do it to try to better understand Canada and the Canadian people.  Because understanding your country and your people is – in my view – the most important thing I can do to make the most of my opportunity as United States Ambassador.

We have achieved much over the last three years:

  • Building on what was already the largest trading relationship in the history of the world.
  • Expanding the largest energy trading relationship while taking steps to preserve our planet.
  • Creating a border where we do not have to choose between efficiency and security.
  • Taking steps to harmonize our regulatory structures to enhance trade and competiveness.
  • Working around the world to foster the values of freedom and individual rights that we share and cherish.

Those are just the highlights.  There’s much more.  And yet, we still have much to do.  The good part of this job – and perhaps the bad – is that we will never be done.  There are always problems to solve.  There are always opportunities to seize.

So I look forward to continuing to travel this beautiful country.  To continuing to work to improve what is already perhaps the strongest relationship in the world.  To continuing to try to improve the lives of the American and the Canadian people.

In the meantime, on behalf of myself and my family, I want to thank you for welcoming us into your country and doing so with such warmth and grace.

DJ

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Posted in October 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

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Posted in May 2012 |

April 26, 2012: Ottawa

Thursday, May 3rd, 2012

Last night Ambassador Doer and I were the co-hosts of the Politics and the Pen dinner in Ottawa, a fundraising event in support of the Writers’ Trust of Canada, that celebrates Canadian political and literary cultures. It was great fun.

For those of you who might not be familiar with it, the centerpiece of the evening is the award of the  Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for the best political writing in Canada, awarded this year to Richard Gwyn for his biography Nation Maker: Sir John A. Macdonald: His Life, Our Times; Volume Two: 1867-1891.

The Writers’ Trust celebrates and rewards the talents and achievements of Canada’s novelists, short story writers, poets, biographers, and other fiction and nonfiction writers. Recent award winners include: Patrick DeWitt, Wayne Johnston, and David Adams Richards.

Besides authors, some of others in attendance were: Laureen Harper, Finance Minister Flaherty, Foreign Affairs Minister Baird, Liberal Leader Rae and NDP Leader Tom Mulcair. Really, about the only way you can get in the door is to be an author or get elected to Parliament.

I agreed to co-host the event because I support the writers of Canada.  Oh yea, and my wife Julie was the co-chair of the event.

Julie and David Jacobson with author Ron Graham at a reception for the Shaughnessy Cohen Prize finalists. (Credit: Steve Gerecke)

The hosts are supposed to be funny.  And I have got to tell you that adds A LOT of pressure.  As Amb. Doer said, they don’t pay us to be funny.  But we seemed to do ok.  The theme of our effort was Thrilla on the Hilla – Part II.  We both came out in boxing robes and gloves.  Got a few laughs.  Still, I think I’ll keep my day job and leave comedy to the professionals.  As we stepped off the stage, I thought of one of my favorite lines from Winston Churchill:  “Nothing is quite so exhilarating as to be shot at and missed.”

Co-hosts David Jacobson and Gary Doer, Ambassador of Canada to the U.S. have some fun on stage (Photo Credit: Jake Wright)

DJ

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Posted in April 2012 |

December 21, 2011: Season’s Greetings

Wednesday, December 21st, 2011

As Julie and I approach our third holiday season in Ottawa (and our third Christmas tree as our loyal readers will remember) we want to take a moment to send season’s greetings to our Embassy family and to our friends across Canada, the United States, and around the world.

This is the time when all of us reflect on the events of the past year. It has been a great year for the relationship between our two countries. We are honored to have had a role in that effort. It has also been a great year for our family. We love it here. We continue to travel throughout Canada. We continue to make so many great friends.

On behalf of President Obama and the American people, we want to wish all of you a merry Christmas, happy Hanukkah, and a happy, healthy, and peaceful new year.

David and Julie

Happy Holidays

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Posted in December 2011 |

Smart Traveler Enrollment Program

Thursday, December 15th, 2011

With the holiday season fast approaching, I know that many of us are finalizing our end of year travel plans. For the snowbirds among us, travelling can mean getting away to Mexico or the Caribbean as we seek to escape the cold. For others, travelling can mean heading to Europe, Asia, or pretty much anywhere else in the world, including travelling inside Canada. Many of us will also be travelling from the U.S. to Canada this year. While we often look back at this part of the year with fond memories of time well spent with loved ones reconnecting with our cultural roots and traditions, some among us are brought back to a time when lost passports, misplaced wallets, and missed flights have resulted in unsettling and unpleasant flashbacks of misery and discomfort.

As the American Ambassador in Canada, I have no more important responsibility than the welfare of American citizens living in and travelling to Canada. Realizing that there are about a million dual U.S.-Canadian citizens in Canada, and many other Americans who frequently travel to Canada, I strongly encourage all Americans expecting to travel this winter to sign up for the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP). If you enroll in STEP the data you choose to provide will help us best assist you in the event that misfortune strikes.

Through STEP, you can access information about the country where you will be traveling as well as information about Canada. You can also receive updates, including Travel Warnings, Travel Alerts, and other important information regarding your plans.

When I think of STEP, I’m reminded of a French comedy called “Lost in Transit.” In the movie, a traveler who has lost his passport gets stuck at a Paris airport without any assistance from his government and with no way to contact his friends or family for help. Over the course of the movie he runs into other travelers in the same helpless state looking for a way out of their predicament. I don’t want to spoil the movie for you, but I do want you to know that if those travelers had been American Citizens enrolled with STEP, their troubles could have been greatly eased or even avoided because their embassy or consulate would have been fully prepared to help with obtaining new passports, contacting relatives, or simply being a friendly face in an unfamiliar place.

While I’m comforted by the knowledge that millions of Americans travel abroad every year and encounter no difficulties, I’m also aware of the fact that embassies and consulates assist nearly 200,000 Americans each year who are victims of crime, accident, or illness, or whose family and friends need to contact them in an emergency.

So, if you’re planning on travelling to visit family, explore ancient Mayan ruins, scuba dive the Caribbean, or just get away this year, I strongly encourage you to enroll in STEP. Our friendly and discreet consular officers are there to help you when you need them, so please, put down your travel guide and map for a few minutes and take the time to sign up. Enrolling in STEP could turn out to be the most valuable time you spend during your travel planning this year.

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Posted in December 2011 |

December 13, 2011: Ottawa

Tuesday, December 13th, 2011

By Guest Blogger Farah Pandith

No matter where in the world we are, people mark happy occasions with sweets. My first official visit to Canada began the same way, when my driver dashed into Ottawa’s Moulin de Provence café in the ByWard Market and returned with an “Obama Cookie”: a shortbread maple leaf cookie covered in swirls of red icing with “Canada” written boldly across it.

Farah Pandith speaks at a public event at the University of Ottawa

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton created the position of Special Representative to Muslim Communities following President Obama’s 2009 speech in Cairo. My job is global: find areas of common interest and build long-term relationships, people-to-people and within civil society, particularly with young, vibrant, connected, active “digital natives”. Coming to Canada was a wonderful opportunity to meet outstanding young people, and to hear first-hand the experience of Canadian Muslims, and the issues front and center in their lives.

Farah Pandith with University of Ottawa students at the Association of Progressive Muslims of Canada Eid Dinner

They spoke, and I heard. I was energized by my conversation with Carleton students about how issues of race, gender, and religion have changed in the world after 9/11. Students at University of Ottawa evoked their concerns about media portrayal of Islam. Participants in a video conference with Ottawa, Québec City, Calgary, Winnipeg and Vancouver asked how we can educate Muslims and non-Muslims about each other. A student at Ridgewood High School wanted to know how Muslims in America and Canada differ. I was honored to Keynote the Eid Dinner of the Association of Progressive Muslims of Canada, and celebrate their efforts to open doors to dialogue and understanding. Throughout my visit I heard many welcome America’s greater efforts to listen to Muslim voices and respect the diversity of Muslim experiences around the world.

Farah Pandith and Ann Taillon, Vice Principal of Ridgemont High School in Ottawa

Several students I met have already sent me Twitter messages, asking questions and sharing ideas. I welcome staying in touch via Facebook (www.facebook.com/fpandith) or Twitter (@Farah_Pandith).

There was no better day than UN World Tolerance Day to share the 2011 Hours Against Hate campaign www.facebook.com/2011HoursAgainstHate.com, launched jointly with my colleague Hannah Rosenthal, the U.S. Envoy to Combat and Monitor Anti-Semitism. This action-oriented awareness campaign asks people to pledge time for someone who doesn’t look like them, pray like them, or live like them. I hope you’ll check it out and join us!

Farah Pandith and a Royal Canadian Mounted Police Officer at the Eid Dinner

I departed Canada, headed for Thanksgiving with my family in New England, with certainly one more thing to be thankful for: my great experience in Canada and the warm welcome that I received. Thank you!

Farah Pandith
State Department Special Representative to Muslim Communities

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Posted in December 2011 |

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

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Posted in December 2011 |

October 21, 2011: Seattle, Washington

Friday, October 21st, 2011

Yesterday marked the end of a long and painful chapter for the people of Libya. It is now up to them to determine their own destiny in a new and democratic Libya.

Faced with the prospect of mass atrocities, the United States and its allies – including Canada – stopped Gaddafi’s forces in their tracks. Meanwhile the Libyan people fought for their own future.

The Canadian people should be proud of the Canadian forces who played an important role in the successful conclusion of hostilities. The NATO of effort was led by Canadian Lt. General Bouchard who commanded with distinction.

There should be no illusions, however, about the way forward. Forty-two years of tyranny have left Libya in a shambles. There will be difficult days ahead. But the United States and the international community are committed to the Libyan people who won this revolution.

The events in Libya prove once again that the march of history is one away from tyranny and toward freedom and democracy. What we have seen across the Middle East is that the vast majority of people in that region want the same things the rest of us do. Peace, freedom, a better life for ourselves and our families.

DJ

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Posted in October 2011 |

September 2, 2011: Ottawa

Friday, September 2nd, 2011

This morning we had a very emotional dedication of an exhibit outside the Embassy here in Ottawa of photos that were taken after 9/11 showing the outpouring of support by the Canadian people toward their friends in the United States.

At that time, I was a lawyer in Chicago with no particular relationship with Canada. But I remember well learning of the warmth of the Canadian people during those dark days. Here in Ottawa at the Embassy when people placed flowers, notes, and candles against the Embassy wall. On Parliament Hill where 100,000 people gathered to show their support. In Gander, St. Johns, Halifax, Vancouver, and elsewhere where Canadians took in our planes and cared for our citizens when U.S. airspace was closed. In the individual acts of human kindnesses at a time when humanity was in short supply. For that and so much more, the American people will be eternally grateful.

What follows are the remarks I gave this morning as well as the photos which will remain in front of the Embassy for the next couple of weeks. They express my emotions – and I believe the emotions of most Americans – as we reflect on the events of 9/11 and the last 10 years.

DJ

Ambassador Jacobson’s Remarks at U.S. Embassy, Ottawa Ceremony to Unveil: “Thank you, Canada: A 9/11 Commemorative Photo Exhibit”
September 2, 1011

As prepared for delivery.

On the morning of September 11, 2001, as word spread, and as what at first seemed unthinkable and unimaginable turned into tragic fact, people began arriving outside the Embassy. Some came alone; others came with friends and family.

In the dark hours that followed the events on that bright September morning, there was nothing the people here in Ottawa could do. But all the same, so many found that they just couldn’t do nothing.

So they came. Theirs was a simple act, spontaneous and gracious.

Along the length of this building, along this historic street, Canadians placed bouquets of flowers. They left candles, red, white and blue balloons, stuffed animals, drawings by children and the heartfelt words of men and women inscribed on homemade cards – words of sorrow and elegy, words of support and of resolve.

On its own, each act was an intimate gesture of sympathy. Taken together, they became a powerful symbol of solidarity.

To walk past this display of compassion was to know that in our moment of tragedy, the citizens of the United States were not alone.

We’re sometimes defined by our differences: our different ideas and ideals, our different beliefs, different nationalities, and our different loves and passions. But in the hours and in the days that followed the 9/11 attacks, those differences somehow paled.

Suddenly we all stood together – across a common border – to confront evil and to share our humanity.

The tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks will be a time of solemn remembrance for the families who knew loss on that day: for the survivors, for those who toiled at rescue and recovery, and for the whole of my country, from whom a decade’s passage has done little to erase the shock and the horror of that morning.

But it will also be a time to commemorate the bonds we share with our friends and with those who stood with the people of the United States, a time to remind the world of our gratitude and how much those simple gestures meant. And a time to celebrate the spirit of resilience and defiance that was born at Ground Zero, which spread here to Sussex Drive, and then on around the world.

It was Emerson, that great American writer and philosopher, who said: “We have a great deal more kindness than is ever spoken.”

In the days that followed Sept 11th, 2001, the kindness of Canadians was heard as loud as any, as loud as ever.

We value our friendship not only with Canada but with you, the Canadian people. We honor that friendship with this exhibition. It’s our own simple gesture to those who walked alongside us as we made our way through the dark.

Thank you.

Embassy 9/11 gifts 1

Embassy 9/11 gifts 2

Embassy 9/11 gifts 3

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Embassy 9/11 gifts 8

Embassy 9/11 gifts 9

Embassy 9/11 gifts 10

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Posted in September 2011 |

August 23, 2011: Gatineau, Quebec

Tuesday, August 30th, 2011

Daniel J. Caron, the Librarian and Archivist of Canada, led Julie and me on a tour of the Gatineau Preservation Centre. This is the place where the original source documents of Canadian history or stored and preserved.

Ambassador Jacobson and Julie Jacobson at the Gatineau Preservation Centre

The Digitization Lab was our first stop. Here we saw what today’s technology is capable of producing from original source material such as ancient maps of Canada or – at least for me, better yet – memorabilia from Jackie Robinson’s tenure with the Montreal Royals and Hockey Night in Canada … (“He Shoots, He Scores!!!”)

Reading history

We saw the manuscript versions of the 1867 British North America Act, a famous photo profile of Jack and Jackie Kennedy taken by Yousuf Karsh, photos of the first exchange of American and Canadian Ambassadors in 1927, and photos of Charles Lindberg’s visit to Ottawa after his Trans-Atlantic flight.

Viewing Archives

A real highlight was the original of the “1982 Proclamation of the Constitution” complete with its raindrop smudges resulting from the outdoor signing ceremony. Also of note was a collection of very early trading cards.  It turns out that in addition to baseball players, there were cards of politicians. Who’d have thought!

'Hockey: Canada's Royal Winter Game"

I was given a leather bound copy of the earliest hockey book ever written entitled ‘Hockey: Canada’s Royal Winter Game.’ It begins with words that are current more than 100 years later:

“Hockey! Fast, furious, brilliant, it is our popular winter sport. Verily it is the game of games…. Hockey is, among our many, varied games, the most fascinating, the most exciting, the most scientific.”

Take that, Don Cherry!!!

DJ

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Posted in August 2011 |

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