Bruce and Vicki Heyman are no longer connected to the role of U.S. Ambassador to Canada where Bruce served from 2014-2017. Given how visible the Heymans have been and how invisible Kelly Knight Craft has been, you might have wondered otherwise.
Bruce Heyman has made a number of appearances on U.S. TV talking trade, tariffs, and the relationship between the U.S. and Canada over the last couple of years.
Now Bruce and Vicki Heyman have a book The Art of Diplomacy. The two of them served in separate ways to improve relations between the countries.;
They describe how they were iced out by the Harper Government even before Heyman had presented his credentials. The neutral stance on the Keystone XL pipeline by the Obama Administration brought on cancelled meetings and being called in on a holiday weekend. Heyman pointed out that his initial meeting with then Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird was the first and only meeting despite Heyman's desire for more conversation.
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Heyman was asked about the revised NAFTA deal (USMCA/CUSMA) on CTV's Question Period. The former ambassador said the deal in its current form is dead.
"They messed up the clock. Second, they did not collaborate or communicate with unions, nor did they work with the Democrats. So now they find themselves in a position where the Democrats, and the unions in the United States have a different perspective," Heyman said.
The ongoing tariffs are an issue for the Canadians in Parliament over approving the agreement. Democratic lawmakers in the U.S. House have a host of concerns, mostly labour and environmental.
Heyman said Congressional Republicans have been pushing the White House to drop the tariffs.
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The Heymans tell a story about the uncertainty for them after the 2016 election. Bruce was willing to stay if offered for a smooth transition; Vicki wanted no part of that. "I just felt I had to share the values of the person that I worked for and I worked with," Vicki Heyman said on CTV.
They asked Vice President Joe Biden in December 2016 when Biden visited Canada. Biden said they should stay if asked, but he was clear they wouldn't be asked to stay.
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As part of the promotion for the book, the Heymans sat down with Ian Austen of The New York Times. They weighed in on the good and bad about Canada.
What particularly surprised you about Canada?
Bruce Heyman: The world could use Canada’s balance and perspective, the empathy, the pause, the perspective on gender and the Indigenous inclusion.
You all look internally and say: wow we’re not good enough on this and we should be better on that. And I say from external perspective if we could just take some of this sauce and spread it around the world it would be a really good thing.
But Canadians aren’t perfect. What needs improving?
Vicki Heyman: Gosh, I’m pretty high on Canadians right now. In our experience, we didn’t find a lot wrong.
Bruce Heyman: It’s just much more balanced, not perfect. Nothing’s perfect, we’re all human beings.
Kelly Knight Craft may leave U.S. Ambassador to Canada post for promotion
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As for current Ambassador Kelly Knight Craft, she was officially nominated last week to be the next U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. The job has been vacant since Nikki Haley left late last year. The role was a Cabinet post under Haley but will not be in the Cabinet under her successor.
Craft's “both sides” of the science answer on climate change in a CBC interview in 2017 will almost certainly come up in the hearings. The UN position should require a more elaborate approval process.
As for whether or not Craft gets approved, the odds of me knowing are about as high as the 65-1 odds Country House had in winning the Kentucky Derby held in Craft's home state.
photo credit: CTV News Channel
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