The United States finally has an ambassador-designate to Canada.
The U.S. Senate has confirmed Bruce Heyman for the job of U.S. Ambassador to Canada. Not that there was any doubt. Heyman was asked very little and didn't offend any senators in his confirmation hearing. That was last December.
The Canadian American Business Council put some pressure on the party leaders in the Senate: Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY).
The council's actions got more press than my attempts to speed up the process.
For the previous ambassador, David Jacobson, the process between final confirmation and taking the job was a bit more than a week. We don't have a timetable for Heyman, but we hope he and his family are already packed and booked a plane to Ottawa.
Previous coverage:
Canadian ambassadors should know Canada really well
New U.S. ambassador to Canada should know Canada before taking job
While we are looking forward to just having an ambassador, we also want to know more about Heyman and what he will do in the position. The major information that we have on Heyman is that he has been with Goldman Sachs since 1980.
Will he continue the blog Jacobson started? Will Heyman use social media to communicate? What are Heyman's travel plans within Canada?
Heyman didn't weigh in on Keystone XL during the confirmation hearings, but how will his skills work in dealing with this issue. Will Heyman weigh in on Quebec's sovereignty if the PQ wins a majority on April 7? Does Heyman speak French?
Where does he stand on improving trade across the border? Border security issues? Will he visit Lake Toews, named after the Chicago NHL team captain Jonathan Toews?
If Heyman and/or his family are unfamilar with Canada, and want to learn more, they could check out the archives of CanadianCrossing.com. Sure this is a plug to increase page views. But the blog was set up to help Americans understand Canada. And 99% of the content is in English.
We would love to see the new ambassador attend a RedBlacks CFL game in Ottawa this summer. If I make it to Ottawa, I would love to join the ambassador and talk Canada, especially if he can get me seats in a skybox at TD Place Stadium. I will repay his kindness by explaining Canadian football to the ambassador.
photo credit: Daniel Dubois and Kerry Dahlen/vanderbilt.edu
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