Articles

  Newsletters

  Tax Newsletters

Introduction of Ambassador David Jacobson,

US Ambassador to Canada

To

Minden Gross LLP and Invited Guests

 

Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Delivered by Hon. Jerry S. Grafstein, Q.C.

Ladies and gentlemen:

I am absolutely delighted to introduce our distinguished guest, Ambassador David Jacobson, U.S. Ambassador to Canada.

He comes to this legal community and to interested clients with a wealth of personal experience as a leading counsel and partner in the Chicago law firm of Sonnenschein, Nath & Rosenthal LLP, with over 30 years of litigation experience in class actions, securities, insurance and business law generally.  While a partner at his firm, he also founded Atom Works, an organization to bring together corporate, civic and academic leaders to foster nanotechnology in the Midwest.

He served as a member of the CEOs for Cities, a national bipartisan alliance of mayors, corporate executives and university presidents to advance economic competitiveness of cities.

He received a J.D. from Georgetown University and his Bachelor of Arts from Johns Hopkins.

The Ambassador also had interesting political credentials.  He was active in Chicago politics, was an early and strong supporter of President Obama and served as a Special Assistant to the President for personal matters before he was appointed to U.S. Ambassador last year.

Ambassador, as you know, Toronto and Chicago, both great cities on the Great Lakes, share similar demographics.

Toronto and Chicago both have much in common.  Both our cities are vibrant, busy, industrial and scientific cities, engines of growth, animated with strong civic spirit in the arts.  Chicago is a cosmopolitan city with a mix of ethnicity, not dissimilar from Toronto.

Having travelled to one area where Chicago has shown greater leadership than Toronto, and that is the 122 miles of green grass along the waterfront.  There are no high-rise buildings between their Lake Shore Road and the lake except opposite their marina, so unlike ours that is inundated with high rise buildings blocking our view to the lake.

Ambassador, yesterday in a New York Times articles, a noted historian called New York City “a world class city”.  He went on to say that New York was not a great American city; that title belongs to Chicago.  That would be the best way to define Toronto, a great Canadian city.

So the Ambassador comes with a unique perspective from the world of business, civic activity, political activity, and, I am sure, will offer great insight into the politics of both the United States and now, after some time in Canada, from the perspective of an American in Canada.

When in the Senate, for 15 years I travelled across the breadth of the USA every summer, visiting Governors, Senators and Congressmen in their home states.  The 36   States’ largest trading partner is Canada.  It is a remarkably diverse country.

The USA is at a political crossroad after the recent mid-term elections.  The way forward is not clear.  Canadians have a vital interest in the United States as we are each other’s largest trading partners.

Our recovery, therefore, is inextricably linked with the United States.

We are delighted to have the Ambassador here to offer his off the record views which I am sure you will find both compelling and interesting.

Another noted American columnist yesterday said that the rise of the Republicans has been sudden.  They are still in need of a political agenda.  So, without further ado, I welcome the Ambassador for his views.

Mr. Ambassador.