Ambassador Gary Doer walked into the upstairs salon at the Canadian embassy on Pennsylvania Ave, a twinkle in his eye and a smile on his face.
“We have the best view in the city,” he said, motioning to the Capitol building shining through the window in the early winter sun. “We got to watch the Inauguration from the terrace.”
Settling in to his chair, the friendly and easygoing ambassador excitedly begins talking about the events Canada has coming up in 2010. “Canada will be the social place to be next year,” he said. “We’ll be hosting the Winter Olympics in Vancouver and President Obama will be in Canada in June for the G-8 and G-20 Summits.”
Only in office six weeks, Ambassador Doer brings with him plenty of political experience. He served as Premier of Manitoba for 10 years and led the New Democratic Party government while in office. Now he has the top job at Canada’s flagship embassy. “Arriving in D.C. wasn’t too much of an adjustment because I knew people like Janet Napolitano and Tom Vilsack.”
With its unique location – the only embassy between the White House and the U.S. Capitol --- the building plays host to many events for the Washington community. Doer himself is quite passionate about the United Way and Boys and Girls Clubs---in fact he was the first president of the Winnipeg club. He also volunteers with the Special Olympics.
“As ambassador, the unique quality I think I bring to the position is a sense of humor,” Doer said. “It’s a coping skill when dealing with serious issues like climate change.”
Doer also mentioned that he loves the outdoors. He even manages to walk almost every day from his residence near Rock Creek Park to the Embassy. “I did experience my first gridlock with snow a couple weeks ago though,” he said, speaking about what surprised him the most about D.C. “There wasn’t even that much snow on the ground!”
The Ambassador has also always had an interest in theater. “I had a walk-on part in The Nutcracker recently,” he shared.
Doer is also an avid sports fan. His face lit up when asked about what teams he is partial to. “I am a huge Minnesota Vikings fan,” he said. “I have a signed picture of [former Vikings head coach] Bud Grant---I’m also a big Chicago Bears fan.”
When asked what team I cheered for and when I answered the Steelers, Doer chuckled teasingly and said, “I’m sorry.”
While he has yet to find a sports bar in D.C. to frequent, Doer said he’s not the type of ambassador who likes the crust off his sandwiches. “I’d much rather prefer a burger and a beer,” he said.
Doer, who met his wife Ginny when she was the chief of staff for a political adversary, talked candidly about when they first met. “I argued with her boss and then we met later on a more social occasion---It was wonderful from there on in.”
Doer and his wife have two daughters whom they chose to let remain in school in Canada. “My 19-year-old definitely is more responsible than I was at that age,” Doer said. “If you do well in that sense, you tend to have more say about where you end up.”
The Ambassador frequently flies back to Canada to see his family and they visit often. They are all planning to spend the holidays in D.C. together.
— Kate Oczypok
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