Originally aired Friday, March 24, 2023
Our expert panel discusses President Biden’s trip to Canada and the state of the bilateral relationship, and explores the questions:
- What are the United States’ top asks of Canada?
- What are Canada’s top concerns with regard to the relationship?
- How can the bilateral relationship be strengthened?
- What lies ahead in Canada-US dynamics headed toward the 2024 US general election?
Moderator
Bud Locklear
Principal, Earnscliffe Strategies
With over 30 years of public policy and international relations experience in both the United States and Canadian governments, Bud is a results-oriented team player with the proven ability to motivate and lead. His professional expertise includes climate, energy, environment, trade, and defence issues, as well as space and innovation policy. Prior to joining Earnscliffe, Bud served as Special Advisor for Energy and Environment at the United States Embassy in Ottawa. For over two decades Bud provided expert advice and analysis to decision-makers at the Embassy, U.S. Consulates General across Canada, and to officials in Washington D.C. on developments in Canadian economy, government, and society with an emphasis on climate, energy, environment, and trade issues. During his tenure at the embassy Bud worked extensively with Canadian federal and provincial government officials to achieve mutually beneficial solutions across the border.
Beth Palmer
Principal, Earnscliffe Strategies
Beth is a policy and public affairs expert with over a decade of experience in the Canadian innovation ecosystem. With a focus on science, research and technology policy, she has deep expertise in advancing knowledge economy issues through legislative processes and in securing real-world results for clients.
Prior to joining Earnscliffe, Beth worked in the post-secondary education sector, as a senior public affairs official at the University of Waterloo, McMaster University and the U15 Group of Canadian Research Universities. She also has a background in federal politics, where she served as a policy lead on digital economy files.
Beth has served on the Boards of various non-profit organizations in Ottawa and Waterloo for the past decade, including Planned Parenthood, the Ottawa Rape Crisis Centre and SHORE Centre. She holds a PhD in Canadian history.
Eric Miller
President, Rideau Potomac Strategy Group
Eric Miller is President of Rideau Potomac Strategy Group, a Washington, DC-based consultancy that advises public and private sector clients on United States and Canadian business and political matters. In this role, he spends extensive time on Capitol Hill and with U.S. Executive Branch agencies advancing a variety of initiatives. From 2013-2016, Mr. Miller served as Vice President for North America and Cybersecurity at the Business Council of Canada – the national CEO association. From 2008-2013, he was the first representative of Canada’s Department of Industry in the United States. Earlier in his career he spent 8 years with the Integration and Trade Division of the Inter-American Development Bank. Mr. Miller has extensive international experience, having advised more than 30 governments in Asia, Latin America, Europe, and the Middle East on trade, regulatory, technology, and economic policies. He continues to work with a variety of international clients. He is a Global Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson Center Canada Institute, a Fellow with the Canadian Global Affairs Institute, and a frequent media commentator.
Sarah Goldfeder
General Motors Canada
Sarah Goldfeder is a government relations and strategic policy professional with experience in both government and the private sector. She provides high-level insight on the strategies of engagement with both the U.S. and Canadian governments, including how the two countries work together on important issues. She joined the public policy team at General Motors Canada in 2021.
For almost two decades, she has worked on issues pertaining to the North American trilateral relationship. Her focus has been developing a strategic vision for how North America is a critical component of foreign and economic policy for all three governments.
For five years, Sarah was a Principal at the Earnscliffe Strategy Group in Ottawa. In this capacity, she advised organizations on how government works, the players and relationships involved in decision-making and the political and policy context in which decisions will be made. She specialized in the North American political and economic environment, especially in the security and defense, natural resource, energy, manufacturing, and trade sectors.
Sarah also served as Special Assistant to two U.S. Ambassadors to Canada, fostering bilateral relationships at the most senior levels. Her understanding of the interplay between state and federal governments complements her service within the U.S. federal bureaucracy. She has expertise in a wide range of policy issues, which has enabled her to provide practical short and long-term advice on managing the economic, cultural and political dynamics in North America.
Prior to her arrival in Ottawa, Sarah spent three years in Mexico as a Foreign Service Officer. She has also lived and served in Southeast Asia and Europe giving her a global perspective on North American policy development and an appreciation of the opportunities available both within and beyond the Western hemisphere.
Sarah is a North American nomad, with a father from Brooklyn, a mother from Chicago, and a life lived in eight states, six countries, and three continents. She calls the American West her home, having studied at the University of Oregon in Eugene, Oregon and Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado.
