Former Manitoba premier Gary Doer to work with Canada-U.S. think-tank

Gary Doer is about to help advise a think-tank, the latest step in a winding career path that took him from being a Winnipeg corrections officer, to union leader, Manitoba premier and ambassador to the United States.

• Gary Doer, Canada's ambassador to U.S., says he's heading home soon

The soon-to-be-former diplomat said Monday his plans upon leaving the ambassadorship will include volunteering with a Washington-based institute that focuses on Canada-U.S. relations.

Doer will co-chair the advisory committee to the Wilson Center's Canada Institute, which shares research about bilateral issues and invites speakers to events in the American capital.

His future role was announced Monday by Jane Harman, a former U.S. congresswoman who's now president of the Wilson Center. She lauded his six-year diplomatic stint.

"I have known, and still know, a lot of ambassadors. They come here all the time," she told a gathering in the organization's boardroom.

"Some are good and some are, um, not so good. Some are fun, and some are not so much fun. Some are effective and some are (not). But Gary gets straight A's...

"He's good, fun and effective. The whole package."

Doer has already announced he's leaving his diplomatic position soon, at an as-yet-undetermined date, once he's helped the new Liberal government complete its transition.

He's expected to move back to his home province, but has remained mum about any future career plans. The role with the Wilson Center will be part-time, shared with the other co-chairs former U.S. ambassador to Canada David Jacobson and Hugh MacKinnon, chief executive of the law firm Bennett Jones.

A State Department official who oversees the relationship with Canada welcomed news that Doer won't be going away entirely and will continue making occasional visits to Washington.

"It's going to be a lot easier for us," said Sue Saarnio, the deputy assistant secretary of state.

"You have earned a reputation in the diplomatic corps as one of the most effective ambassadors in Washington ... Your calls were always answered and that's no small accomplishment in this town."

She said there had been difficult bilateral issues during Doer's time in Washington mentioning the Keystone XL pipeline and concerns about Buy American provisions in U.S. legislation.

Other speakers mentioned struggles to obtain financing for the new Windsor-Detroit Bridge, a dispute over the New York-Ontario Peace Bridge, and the effort to get Canada into the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

But Saarnio said Doer handled difficult moments, "with grace and with intellectual honesty."

Doer said the think-tank plays an important role in creating conversations. He called that a crucial role, especially in a U.S. political system awash in donations.

"In a world, in an American politics, where so many of the issues are amplified also through money, it's good to have ideas compete with that," Doer said in an interview.

"I think the Woodrow Wilson institute is a unique organization to do that."

The organization's website lists about 140 donors most of them corporate, although it also lists donations from people and government and non-government organizations.

Doer said one issue he's keen on exploring is water: "I've always said, in the long run ... water will be the biggest (Canada-U.S.) issue. That was before the drought in California."

He said it's important to discuss plans for ensuring water quality and quantity: "Don't deal with Asian carp when it's coming your way deal with not diverting water from one watershed to another, before it happens."