With President Barack Obama now in his second term as U.S. president, Canada is getting a new U.S. ambassador. Like current Ambassador David Jacobson, Bruce Heyman's chief qualification to represent the United States in Canada is being a heavy contributor to Obama's campaign.
Heyman's obvious drawback, since he has to be approved by the Senate, is that he is a partner at Goldman Sachs and has been there since 1980.
Getting someone who has a background with Canada hasn't been a priority in selecting an ambassador. Jacobson had little experience contact with Canada; Heyman has done some business in Canada. Jacobson didn't have much of a background about Canada.
Contrast this with Gary Doer, Canada's Ambassador to the United States. Doer is the former premier of Manitoba, and has plenty of interaction with the United States as premier from border security to trade.
Frank McKenna, former premier of New Brunswick, served as Canada's ambassador two ambassadors ago.
The United States has employed former governors in recent times in that role. Paul Cellucci, who was governor of Massachusetts, served from 2001-2005 and James Blanchard, former governor of Michigan, served from 1993-1996. Gordon Giffin, who served as President Bill Clinton's second ambassador, grew up in Canada. Though born in the United States, Giffin's family moved to Canada before his 1st birthday. He grew up in Montréal and Toronto.
This isn't about politics either. Cellucci is a Republican; Blanchard is a Democratic politician. Doer is NDP serving under a Conservative prime minister.
If Heyman is looking for advice, and let's hope he is, do a better job than David Wilkins, who served from 2005-2009. Wilkins never seemed comfortable in Canada and didn't seem to embrace the experience he was given.
Chicago journalist Carol Felsenthal, in writing about Heyman's nomination, gave us some background on Wilkins.
"(Wilkins)… argued that Ottawa is a tough posting: that the U.S. and Canada have "the largest trading relationship the world has ever known," and that Canada is "the number one supplier of hard energy to the U.S." A former speaker of the South Carolina legislature who ran Bush's presidential campaigns in the state, Wilkins told me that when he took the appointment he'd been to Canada only once—on a trip to Niagara Falls soon after his marriage. He was never able to learn French, he volunteered, but did learn "a few phrases, " such as "Merry Christmas" and "It's very cold."
Ottawa should have been an easy posting. No new language to learn, no hot button issues, and you get to stay in the same time zone (Wilkins was from South Carolina). While a little French goes a long way, Wilkins took that literally.
From Andrew Cohen of the Ottawa Citizen:
While Wilkins was an able envoy — representing an unpopular president, tending the commercial relationship and playing the innocent ("bonjour, y'all!") — he never seemed to get Canada. The best diplomats read, ask, and try to understand the place. Wilkins, like his boss, was incurious.
By contrast, Jacobson did seem curious about Canada. To be fair, we know this because Jacobson started a blog in his role as ambassador. Though we wish he would have updated the blog more often, Jacobson came across as someone who was earnest in his desire to learn more about Canada.
This entry came on his third anniversary as ambassador:
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.
Caroline Kennedy's name was being tossed around for ambassador. So was former governors Granholm and Christine Gregoire (Washington state). Granholm and Gregoire would have been better selections than Kennedy, and probably would be better than Heyman.
Canada shouldn't be treated like other obscure countries where an ambassadorship is a reward for giving a lot of money. Canada is the largest trading partner and the primary source of oil to the United States. A former governor isn't a cure-all for handling a close and vital relationship. But the people in that role don't need much of a learning curve and their curiosity continues.
I know that because I gave nothing to Obama's campaign (journalists aren't supposed to contribute to anyone's campaign) that I had no shot at being the next U.S. ambassador to Canada. But I am from Chicago, speak better French than David Wilkins, and have a strong knowledge of Canada. More importantly, my curiosity about Canada stretches farther than Canada's reach into the Arctic Circle. Hopefully, Heyman, if approved, will have 1% of the curiosity level I have about Canada.
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