FY 2006 U.S. SPEAKER REQUEST: Former Congressmen

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 OTTAWA 000026 SIPDIS STATE SECSTATE FOR IIP/G/WHA - CBARONE; WHA/PDA - JCARPENTER-ROCK MONTREAL, TORONTO AND VANCOUVER FOR PAOS CALGARY FOR PA FIELD REP AND PASS TO APP WINNIPEG; HALIFAX FOR PA FIELD REP E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KPAO OIIP CA SUBJECT: FY 2006 U.S. SPEAKER REQUEST: Former Congressmen James Greenwood (R-Pennsylvania) and Bob Carr (D-Michigan) ¶1. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION: Post requests two former U.S. Congressmen, one Republican and one Democrat, as U.S. Speakers for a program to include Carleton University faculty and students in Ottawa, Parliamentary staff, and government officials, media and academics in other Canadian cities via videoconference. The two-day program, February 6- 8, co-sponsored with the U.S.-based Congress to Campus Program, will include seminars with students and faculty at Carleton University; meetings with government officials and staffers; a reception hosted by Ambassador Wilkins; and schedules permitting, a DVC with audiences at some of the seven U.S. Consulates across Canada. ¶2. TIME FRAME: February 6-9, 2006 (international travel on Feb 6 and Feb 9) ¶3. AUDIENCE: students, faculty, government officials, politicians, parliamentary staffers, media. ¶4. PROPOSED TOPICS AND TYPES OF EVENTS: Topics: The U.S. Policy-making Process; The U.S. bipartisan, bicameral legislature and its promotion of active debate on public policy; U.S.-Canada Relations: Understanding differences in governance styles. Formats: University seminars with political science, history, economics, and journalism students; campus lecture; informal discussion with Parliamentary staffers and interns; interactive video conference with invited audiences in Ottawa and participating U.S. Consulates across Canada (15- minute introductory remarks followed by round-robin questions and answers). ¶5. PURPOSE: Canada's Ambassador to the United States recently made public reference to the U.S. system of government as "dysfunctional" in describing the perceived slowness and ineffectiveness of U.S.G. actions that affect Canada. This illustrates one of the fundamental areas in which Canadians think they understand their nearest neighbors, but in fact do not. Canadians are long accustomed to a system of parliamentary democracy. The Prime Minister, assuming his/her party holds a majority, faces little opposition within the House of Commons and little dissent from the appointed Senate or the court system. Assuming that the U.S. balance of powers system works in a similar way, it is difficult for Canadians to understand why, for example, President Bush could not immediately follow through on the administration's stated intent to reopen U.S. borders to Canadian beef; or why, despite the administration's opposition and the findings of a WTO panel, the administration could not simply revoke the Byrd Amendment. The proposed program with two former Congressmen from the two major U.S. political parties would offer Canadian students, politicians, officials, political aides and journalists a rare opportunity to gain the Congressmen's inside perspectives on the workings of American democracy. Post expects their visit to result in new insights and a new context for understanding the complexity of checks and balances; and a fuller appreciation of the vitality of the U.S. political system, including the opportunity for thorough debate of issues that characterize the American political process. Audiences will include Canadian academics, students and journalists, who are some of our most prominent critics; as well as politicians and staffers, who will be forming a new national government after elections on January 23. This program supports three MPP goals: Close Ties with Allies and Friends, Economic Prosperity, and Mutual Understanding. ¶6. TYPE OR NAME OF SPECIALIST REQUIRED: The post proposes this program in coordination with Carleton University in Ottawa, renowned for its strong programs in international relations and journalism, and the U.S.-based Congress to Campus Program, a partnership between the Stennis Center, the Center for Democracy and Citizenship (CDC) at the Council for Excellence in Government, and the U.S. Association of Former Members of Congress. The Program traditionally sends former members to U.S. college campuses to educate the next generation about American government, politics and public affairs and about bipartisan cooperation. Recent forays into international exchanges have proved very worthwhile, as reported by U.S. Consulate Toronto colleagues, who co-hosted members visiting the University of Toronto last year. Charles Clontz, Program Director at the Congress to Campus Program, has recruited Congressmen Greenwood (Republican, Pennsylvania) and Carr (Democrat, Michigan) for this program. Clontz can be reached by e-mail at cclonts@EXCELGOV.org. Speakers: James Greenwood Biotechnology Industry Organization 1225 Eye Street NW Suite 400 Washington, DC 20005 202.962.9200 Contact: Karen V. Cologne Executive Assistant to the President & Board Assistant, (202) 312-9267, kcologne@bio.org (mailto:kcologne@bio.org) Bob Carr 2775 Unicorn Lane NW Washington, D.C. 20003 202/543-5237 202/548-2343 (fax) 202/544-8195 (home Speaker bio: http://www.stennis.gov/Congressionalbios http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodispl ay.pl?index=G00 0439 http://www.bio.org/aboutbio/biography.asp?sp= 00078503 ¶6. LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS: English ¶7. REQUESTS FOR SUPPORTING BIBLIOGRAPHIC MATERIALS: none ¶8. MISSION PROGRAM OFFICER: Elizabeth Kauffman, Cultural Affairs Officer, U.S. Embassy Ottawa; e-mail kauffmanec@state.gov; tel (613)688-5314, fax (613) 688-3101, home (613) 745-0124, cell (513) 859-5295. Please also include Sandra Weedmark on communications about this project: weedmarksl@state.gov, 613-688-5313. ¶9. FUNDING SPECIFICS: Post wishes to share the program costs as follows: Post I-Bucks cover the following expenses for the two speakers: : 1) Meals and Incidentals for four days (Monday-Thursday) US rate: $89/day x 4 days = $356 x 2 persons = $712 2) Honorarium for four days (Mon-Thurs) @ $200/day x 4 days x 2 persons = $1600 (Would be adjusted if they travel home on the third day) 3) Airport taxis: $30/trip x 2 trips x 2 persons = $120. Congress to Campus covers the following costs for the speakers, in cooperation with Carleton University: 1) Roundtrip international airfare for both Congressmen 2) Lodging for both Congressmen 3) Local transport to/from Carleton, if not provided by Carleton. ¶10. Post looks forward to working with IIP to implement this innovative program. WILKINS