Welcome and introduction.

AuthorBlanchard, James
PositionConference: US and Canadian Energy Relationship

Speaker--Daniel Ujczo

United States Speaker--Hon. James Blanchard

Canadian Speaker--Hon. James S. Peterson, P.C.

Speaker--Christopher Sands

INTRODUCTION

MR. UJCZO: Good morning. I am Dan Ujczo, the Managing Director of the Canada-United States Law Institute. (1) On behalf of the Institute, our Executive Committee, Advisory Board, and our two founding institutions, Case Western Reserve University School of Law and The University of Western Ontario Faculty of Law, I welcome you to the twenty-eighth Henry T. King, Jr. Annual Conference on Canada-United States relations.

For those of you who are first-timers, the bell is a tradition that dates back to the first conference, (2) and you will be hearing it throughout this weekend's proceedings. I have already broken one of Henry's long-standing rules. We are running a bit behind this morning but our panels are built with a little bit of squish time.

I do want to point out a few nuts and bolts issues for everyone. Things are a little bit different this year, particularly for those of you that have come here over several years--many, many years in some cases. The first is to please be sure that you wear your nametag throughout the proceedings.

Secondly, I refer you to the goodie bag that you have received, the black bag from Connect2Canada (3) and our colleagues at the Canadian Embassy in Washington. Included in this bag are a number of informational materials from Positively Cleveland, our convention and trade bureau here in the great State of Ohio, but also the updated Conference agenda, speakers, where you need to be, and most importantly, our Conference sponsors are listed in the materials.

If you have any questions during the proceedings, you can see that a number of our students are here. There is also an overflow room across the way where they are camped out. Our students will be in and out of that room throughout the day. We also have a talented professional administrative team out in the front that you have seen this morning: Nancy Pratt, Alice Simon, and Jared Gregory. So if you have any questions, comments, or concerns, those are the people to talk to, as well as myself. They are here to help. They have been engaged with this Conference night and day for about the past year. So with that, I will refer you to them for any questions.

I want to thank two people in particular for organizing this Conference. Our two Conference Co-Chairs, Chris Sands of the Hudson Institute (4) and David Crane, a syndicated journalist in Toronto, (5) have dedicated essentially the past year of their lives to organizing this Conference. Many of you have been on the receiving end of those phone calls asking you to come and speak or participate, and without them this conference would not be possible. Thank you, Chris and David.

And beyond that, we have a talented Advisory Board that just met this morning. Actually, because they are so active, we are a little bit late on starting this morning.

Many of the members of our Executive Committee will meet throughout the Conference and we will be introducing them throughout the proceedings. Our two Executive Committee Co-Chairs are the driving force behind the Institute and it is my great privilege, and even greater pleasure, to introduce our Co-Chairs, Minister James Peterson (6) of Fasken Martineau and Governor James Blanchard. (7) I will now invite Governor Blanchard to say a few words this morning.

MR. BLANCHARD: Let us start with Jim Peterson. We will let the defendant go first.

CANADIAN SPEAKER

Hon. James S. Peterson, P.C.

MR. PETERSON: Let me say this. I could not be more honored to be a Co-Chair of this with Jim Blanchard. I met Jim when he was appointed the Ambassador from the United States to Canada, and we have kept in touch ever since. I must tell you that in all the years that I have been involved in the Canada-United States relationship, Jim Blanchard brought more to it than any of his predecessors or successors.

Back in 1995, Canada was embroiled, as many of you know, in the issue of the separation of Quebec. (8) The polls were looking very bad for keeping Canada united on the eve of the referendum. (9) In international relations, one knows there is a law that one can never interfere in the internal matters of another state, (l0) Jimmy broke that rule and brought President Clinton into the host of problems in Ottawa, where Clinton talked about the need for a strong united Canada to the north of the United States. (11) We won the referendum by about 51,000 votes (12) and that was what did it. Jimmy, you have done more for our country than anybody else in this room ever has done or ever will do. And it is just great to be working with you here at the Canada-United States Law Institute, a unique institution, and one where, together, we have the opportunity to build that incredible relationship between the two closest neighbors and the two closest friends on Earth.

Dan, you have done a remarkable job, you and everybody else, in making this happen. I am very thankful to you and I think we are going to see the results of your incredible efforts at this conference, which so many people have attended.

We welcome you, we thank you for being here, and we look forward to your participation not only today but in the future of this unique institution and in the history of our two great countries.

MR. UJCZO: Thank you, Minister. Governor Blanchard.

UNITED STATES SPEAKER

Hon. James Blanchard

MR. BLANCHARD: Jim Peterson read that just the way I wrote it. I could listen to you all day, Jim.

MR. PETERSON: I wish my wife would say that.

MR. BLANCHARD: Anyway, welcome all of you. I have worked with Jim, as you can probably tell, for a long...

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