Bob Rae is Canada's new ambassador to the UN. His appointment comes in the wake of Canada's failure to gain a seat on the Security Council. Susan Delacourt writes:
Bob Rae, Canada’s next ambassador to the United Nations, had much to say about defeat when he spoke to the media on Monday.
It isn’t everyone who would be reflecting on loss when gaining an important new job on the world stage.
But this is Rae’s fortune and forte. The former premier of Ontario, also the former interim leader of the Liberal party, has once again arrived in a role for which he is perfectly suited, at a less-than-perfect moment in history.
Rae, like Trudeau, is following in his father's footsteps:
Rae now has something else in common with Justin Trudeau, the man who appointed him to the UN post on Monday.
Both now are doing jobs that their fathers did before them. Rae’s father, Saul Rae, served as ambassador to the United Nations in the 1970s, when Pierre Trudeau was prime minister.
“For me to be able to work in the same place as my father, and to be able to have his picture in my office,” Rae said, “is a wonderful moment for me.”
Rae's appointment also signals an attempt to build bridges between Trudeau and the old Liberal guard. His appointment strikes me as a very smart move -- and I taught in Ontario when all of the province's public servants endured "Rae Days." Rae paid the price for his decisions. And it appears that the price he paid made him a wiser man.
Image: The Toronto Star
4 comments:
I can't think of anyone better than Bob Rae. Great choice.
I agree, Toby. He's smart. But experience -- less than positive experience -- has tempered his judgment.
Good choice. Smart former NDPers appointed to Ambassadorships. Can't say the Trudeaus are dump either.
Bob Rae will do a good job and most likely write a great book when its all said and done.
It's been done before, e.a.f -- by other prime ministers. Remember when Brian Mulroney appointed Stephen Lewis as Ambassador to the UN?
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