Page Two	E-mail PagePrint Version

CANADIAN CONSUL GENERAL IN LA TO HEAD NEW INITIATIVE

LOS ANGELES - 05/11/04 - Colin Robertson, current Canadian Consul General in Los Angeles, has been named to head a new public advocacy and legislative Secretariat at the Canadian Embassy in Washington.

Robertson, who has served in his current post since 2000 joined the Canadian Foreign Service in 1977 as a member of the Canadian Mission to the United Nations in New York.

The new Secretariat is being established "to further Canadian interests in the US," said Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin.

"The government has made very clear that we are committed to improving the management and coherence of our relations with the US," said Martin.

"Canadians are best served by a more sophisticated approach to Canada-US relations which recognizes and respects the valuable roles of legislators and representatives from various levels of government. The new secretariat will enhance Canada's overall advocacy efforts in the US, while supporting a single Canadian voice."

Expected to be operational by the fall, the Secretariat will work with provinces and territories and Parliamentarians to plan and support new outreach activities directed at members of Congress - both on Capitol Hill and in their districts.

It will also allow for the "co-location of provincial and territorial representatives at the Canadian Embassy in support of its mandate and assist travelling parliamentary committees, respond to requests by members of parliament and senators, and plan and co-ordinate the delivery of more regular, non-partisan briefings."

The Secretariat will also allow the Canada-US Inter-Parliamentary Group (IPG) to have an expanded role, in order that its members may undertake more frequent advocacy activities in Congressional districts, in addition to the annual IPG meeting.
 
The Secretariat will also complement Canada's "Enhanced Representation Initiative" across the US, the Prime Minister said.

New and existing consulates, he said, will work with the secretariat to employ the knowledge and enthusiasm of Canadian legislators across the diverse regions of the US. All of Canada's provinces and territories have been invited to assign staff to any one of the consulates to add their expertise and influence to Canada's message.

Canada has an Embassy in Washington and 12 Consulates General located throughout the continental US - Atlanta, Boston, Buffalo, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis, New York, and Seattle - as well as Consulates in Houston, Raleigh, San Diego, and San Francisco.

Trade offices are also located in California's San Jose/Silicon Valley region and Princeton, New Jersey.
 
By this fall, Canada will have opened additional consulates in Anchorage, Philadelphia, and Phoenix, bringing its representation in the US to 22 offices.

Go back, or read the latest Page Two stories:

MEXICO LIFTS CALIFORNIA LETTUCE BAN

MEXICO CITY, Mexico – 10/20/06 – The weeks-old ban on California lettuce shipments to Mexico has been lifted after US Department of Agriculture tests for the E. coli bacteria proved negative; California is the country’s leading producer of lettuce with an estimated 70-75% of the total US production of iceberg lettuce and between 80-85% of the leaf lettuce.