US embassy cable - 05MONTREAL221

UNCLAS MONTREAL 000221 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SECSTATE FOR WHA/CAN 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, ETRD, CA 
SUBJECT:  AMBASSADOR CELLUCCI'S FAREWELL VISIT TO 
MONTREAL 
 
1.SUMMARY:  AMBASSADOR CELLUCCI HAD A FULL ITINERARY OF PUBLIC 
AFFAIRS ACTIVITIES FOR HIS FEBRUARY 17 FAREWELL VISIT TO 
MONTREAL.  A KEYNOTE SPEAKER AT MCGILL'S HIGH-PROFILE "CANADA IN 
THE WORLD" CONFERENCE, THE AMBASSADOR ALSO MET WITH SCHOLARS AND 
BOARD MEMBERS AT THE INSTITUTE FOR RESEARCH ON PUBLIC POLICY 
(IRPP), AND WAS GUEST OF HONOR AT CONSUL GENERAL BERNADETTE 
ALLEN'S RECEPTION FOR CONTACTS IN BORDER SECURITY AND LAW 
ENFORCEMENT FIELDS.  WHILE MEDIA INTEREST IN THE STORY OF THE DAY 
- SECURITY BREACHES AT HYDRO QUEBEC INSTALLATIONS IN JAMES BAY - 
SPARKED COVERAGE OF THE AMBASSADOR'S PRESENCE, HE DELIVERED A 
LASTING MESSAGE ON ENDURING U.S.-CANADA FRIENDSHIP, AND THE MANY 
VALUES AND GOALS THAT CANADIANS AND AMERICANS SHARE. END SUMMARY. 
 
2. THE MCGILL INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF CANADA TIMED ITS "CANADA 
IN THE WORLD CONFERENCE" TO OCCUR AS THE CANADIAN GOVERNMENT WAS 
RELEASING ITS FIRST FOREIGN POLICY REVIEW STATEMENT SINCE 1995. 
HOWEVER, THE STATEMENT WAS STILL BEING PRODUCED AS THE CONFERENCE 
TOOK PLACE (REPORTEDLY, OXFORD UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR SHEILA WALSH 
HAS BEEN CONTRACTED TO EDIT THE DOCUMENT AND GIVE IT GREATER 
COHERENCE).  THE CONFERENCE ATTRACTED SOME 375 PARTICIPANTS FROM 
INSTITUTIONS ALL OVER CANADA AND INCLUDED ACADEMICS, WONKS AND A 
WELL-KNOWN CAST OF CANADIAN FOREIGN POLICY OFFICIALS, INCLUDING 
FOREIGN AND DEFENSE MINISTERS PETTIGREW AND GRAHAM, ALAN 
GOTTLIEB, RAYMOND CHRETIEN, DAVID MALONE, AND ROBERT GREENHILL, 
AMONG OTHERS. 
 
(COMMENT: THE IRPP PRESIDENT HUGH SEGAL, WHO INTRODUCED THE 
AMBASSADOR AT THE MCGILL CONFERENCE AND HOSTED HIM LATER IN THE 
DAY AT A ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION, PAID THE ULTIMATE CANADIAN 
COMPLIMENT: HE COMPARED AMBASSADOR CELLUCCI TO JEAN BELLIVEAU, 
THE FAMED MONTREAL CANADIENS HOCKEY PLAYER WHO IS REMEMBERED AS A 
"GRAND GENTILHOMME" BUT ALSO AS SOMEONE WHO KNEW HOW TO USE HIS 
ELBOWS AND KNEES TO DEFEND HIS TEAM AND BE EFFECTIVE ON THE ICE. 
SEGAL'S POINT WAS WELL UNDERSTOOD AND WARMLY APPRECIATED BY THE 
AUDIENCE THAT DAY. END COMMENT.) 
 
3. UPON THE AMBASSADOR'S ARRIVAL, MISC DIRECTOR ANTONIA MAIONI 
INFORMED US THAT CONFEREES HAD HEARD SEVERAL HEATED AND CRITICAL 
SESSIONS ABOUT THE DIRECTION OF CANADIAN FOREIGN POLICY AND THE 
STATE OF THE CANADIAN MILITARY.  THE AUDIENCE APPEARED TO FULLY 
APPRECIATE THE AMBASSADOR'S REFLECTIONS ON U.S.-CANADA RELATIONS, 
HIS RESPECTFUL SUGGESTIONS RELATED TO CANADA'S INTERNATIONAL 
ASPIRATIONS AND HIS HEARTFELT THANKS FOR THE FRIENDSHIP EXTENDED 
BY CANADIANS TO AMERICANS AFTER 9/11. 
 
4. FOLLOWING THE AMBASSADOR'S SPEECH, THERE WAS A PRESS SCRUM 
HUNGRY FOR COMMENTS ON SECURITY VULNERABILITIES AT HYDRO QUEBEC 
INSTALLATIONS IN NORTHERN QUEBEC.  THE AMBASSADOR REPEATED THE 
COMMENTS HE HAD MADE IN HIS SPEECH -- THAT THE SECURITY BREACHES 
UNDERSCORED THE NEED TO BE VIGILANT, BUT THAT HE WAS CONFIDENT 
CORRECTIVE MEASURES WOULD BE TAKEN - AND THEN TOOK A FEW MORE 
QUESTIONS ON IRAQ, SOFTWOOD LUMBER AND MISSILE DEFENSE.  RICHARD 
LATENDRESSE OF TVA, QUEBEC'S FRANCOPHONE TV RATINGS LEADER, AND 
IAN MACDONALD, COLUMNIST FOR THE GAZETTE, WERE GIVEN INTERVIEWS 
AS WELL.  MACDONALD'S PIECE, PUBLISHED 2/21, WAS VERY 
COMPLIMENTARY OF THE AMBASSADOR ("CELLUCCI HAS BEEN ONE OF THE 
MOST EFFECTIVE U.S. ENVOYS TO CANADA DURING THE LAST 25 YEARS."). 
WE WERE TOLD TO EXPECT THE LATENDRESSE INTERVIEW LATER THIS WEEK. 
 
5. THE AMBASSADOR WAS THE FEATURED GUEST AT BOTH AN IRPP 
ROUNDTABLE AND CG ALLEN'S RECEPTION FOR BORDER AND LAW 
ENFORCEMENT CONTACTS.  A NUMBER OF GUESTS PAID TRIBUTE TO HIM AT 
THE RECEPTION: EX-QUEBEC PREMIER PIERRE MARC JOHNSON (NOW 
QUEBEC'S SOFTWOOD LUMBER NEGOTIATOR) THANKED THE AMBASSADOR FOR 
HIS ABILITY TO LISTEN, AND HIS CANDOR, ESPECIALLY RECENTLY, ON 
THE NATURE OF THE SOFTWOOD DISPUTE; RCMP AND SURETE DU QUEBEC 
OFFICERS THANKED HIM PROFUSELY FOR HIS SUPPORT OF U.S.-CANADA LAW 
ENFORCEMENT COOPERATION. 
ALLEN