VZCZCXRO0785
OO RUEHGA RUEHHA RUEHMT RUEHQU RUEHVC
DE RUEHOT #0814 2961937
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O R 231936Z OCT 09
FM AMEMBASSY OTTAWA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0004
INFO ALL CANADIAN POSTS COLLECTIVE
RHEHNSC/WHITE HOUSE NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC

UNCLAS OTTAWA 000814 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV CA
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR'S INITIAL MEETINGS WITH PARLIAMENT 
 
¶1.  (SBU)  Summary.  In separate meetings with the Speaker of the 
Senate and the Canada-U.S. Interparliamentary Group on Parliament 
Hill on October 22, Ambassador underscored the close ties between 
our two nations, welcomed more legislative exchanges, and responded 
to concerns about "Buy America" provisions and the "thickening" of 
the border since 911.  End Summary. 
 
 
 
¶2.  (SBU)  Speaker of the Senate Noel Kinsella hosted Ambassador 
and PolMinCouns to a luncheon on October 22 in his private dining 
room on Parliament Hill - the same room that Prime Minister Stephen 
Harper had "borrowed" to give a luncheon for President Obama on 
February 19.  Speaker Kinsella warmly welcomed the Ambassador to 
Canada and offered the full support and friendship of the Canadian 
Senate.   He expressed a strong hope that Vice President Biden 
visit Ottawa and make an address to the full Senate, which would be 
unprecedented.  (He also held open the possibility of an eventual 
address by the President to the combined Senate and House of 
Commons.)  The Speaker and the Ambassador discussed possibilities 
for encouraging more educational exchanges, with the Speaker 
expressing particular concern that only about 3 pct of Canadian 
university students engaged in semesters abroad in any country.  In 
response to questions about "Buy America" provisions in U.S. 
legislation, the Ambassador noted ongoing positive discussions 
between USTR Kirk and International Trade Minister Day and their 
staffs.  He welcomed Canada's strong interest in environmental 
issues, while noting that new U.S. legislation on energy and 
climate change would likely not be in place before the upcoming 
Copenhagen Summit. 
 
 
 
¶3.  (U)  Subsequently, the Speaker introduced the Ambassador in the 
Senate gallery during its daily session, with all of the Senators 
present giving him a standing ovation of applause. 
 
 
 
¶4.  (SBU)  The Canada-U.S. Interparliamentary Group (CUSIPG) - with 
members from both the Senate and the House of Commons - separately 
hosted a dinner in honor of the Ambassador on October 22.  The two 
co-chairs - Senator Jerahmiel Grafstein and MP Gord Brown - offered 
their warm welcomes and strong hopes for a continued close 
friendship and partnership between our two nations.  Individual 
members raised several examples of the "thickening" of the border 
since 9/11 and the negative impact on trade and tourism.  The 
Ambassador underscored the importance of working collaboratively in 
the common interest in improving efficiency and security on both 
sides of the border.  He responded to several expressions of 
concern about "Buy America" provisions, while declining to describe 
the nature of the ongoing discussions.  The Ambassador urged the 
members to introduce and pass improved legislation on intellectual 
property rights protection.  He highlighted the value of close 
contacts between members of our two countries' legislatures, as 
well as the CUSIPG's valuable outreach to state governors and 
legislators. 
JACOBSON