New Canadian Consul General in Detroit talks EVs, Gordie Howe bridge and Line 5
Canadian Consul General Colin Bird is Detroit-proud and wants the world to know.
Bird, appointed to the influential diplomatic job Sept. 2 after Joe Comartin retired, oversees four states: Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky. Because Detroit is a critical gateway with more trade crossings each year than at any other point, the Canadian government located the Consulate General of Canada office here.
Bird also had an important tie to Detroit long before his appointment. He has been married over 30 years to Stacy Bird, who grew up in Grosse Pointe. She became a Canadian citizen in 2005 but they have visited this area often with family still here.
When they got news of his appointment, the couple made one decision: “For both of us, to come here to make a home after the city has made such great strides toward renewal is a real gift,” Bird said. “And it’s exciting in these first few months to have met so many of the people who are responsible for that renewal. It was important that we live in Detroit proper, because even diplomats on assignment here can be Detroit-proud!”
Harvard educated, with a law degree from the University of Ottawa, Bird comes to the job with an eclectic skill set, one revolving around trade, which resonates, as Canada is the largest trading partner for Michigan and the U.S. as we are to our neighbors to the north.
His office helps Canadians with passport issues and other things. But Bird does more as the face of his government as he meets with leaders to talk about issues and facilitate collaboration.
“He's one of Canada's most expert trade diplomats,” Roy Norton, who held the job from 2010-14, told me about Bird. “He's a very outgoing person, and will foster and build close connections to political, business, and union decision-makers, environmental, think-tank and university leaders.”
Case in point: Lawrence Technological University leaders met with him March 29 at their Southfield campus. “We invited him to campus to discuss collaboration opportunities between LTU and institutions of higher education and industry in Canada,” said Tarek Sobh, president of Lawrence Technological University. “We also discussed enriching existing (and new) sponsored research collaborations between our faculty scientists and researchers in Canadian institutions. “
Between the new Gordie Howe Bridge, EVs, and what to do about Enbridge’s aging Line 5, Bird has been busy. I posed a few questions. His answers are edited for length.
Question: Tell me about your Detroit connection?
Answer: My wife was born at Henry Ford Hospital and grew up in Grosse Pointe. We have family in Michigan and my wife has always had a fierce attachment to the city. While she is now a Canadian, she will only cheer on the Lions, Tigers and Red Wings. Of course, there is a huge difference between visiting family and living in and interacting with a community.
Q: How are you spending your time in your new role?
A: Given the number of cross-border connections and opportunities in Michigan, this is where I spend the bulk of my time. I get to meet a great mix of people — legislators and executive branch officials but also leaders in business and others like authors, artists, musicians. Almost everyone has some connection to Canada ... a summer cottage, a college experience or an internship. There are so many Michiganders who vacation in Canada.
Q: Your background includes working on trade deals. How do you see the current climate and both countries benefiting?
A: I headed up our trade policy team at our embassy in Washington as we renegotiated the terms of Canada-U.S. trade. We secured a great result for our combined manufacturing base in the Great Lakes Region in the new USMCA (United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement). Revitalizing our joint auto sector was a huge priority. Canada and Michigan are both transforming auto and energy sectors, so there is no better time to be a Consul General for Canada in Detroit with a trade background. A key point for Michiganders to appreciate is your attractiveness as a site for new investment in manufacturing and the knowledge economy gets a huge boost from your proximity to Canada. Canada is next door and new EV and battery production needs to be close to critical minerals and processing capacity. Canada brings that to you.
Q: Can you provide an update about the Gordie Howe Bridge and pipeline 5?
A: It is great to see the progress. If you haven’t been there, you should check out the towers rising. A lot of attention is being directed toward preparing for the operational phase that will follow construction. There is a huge opportunity for both Ontario and Michigan to secure economic benefits from this massive infrastructure investment. The Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority continues to work toward opening the bridge by the contracted date of the end of 2024. (But) with the pandemic, they are assessing the potential impact on that schedule. On Line 5, we are focused on the environmental assessment process now underway and we continue our treaty dialogue at the federal level. Even the most optimistic forecasts on our energy transition make it clear Michigan will continue to need imported fuels for its economy and to supply the world with new and cleaner manufactured products. Canada is taking a leadership role in the transition to renewable energy and we have much we can share with Michigan. Recently, we announced an electricity transmission project that will supply New York City with 20% of electricity needs from carbon-free Canadian hydro-electricity. I would love to be making similar announcements here in the Great Lakes region.
Q: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced after meeting with President Joe Biden that your government will provide more funding for the Great Lakes. How important was that?
A: Prime Minister Trudeau announced Canada is investing an additional $420 million ($306 million in U.S. dollars) to preserve these waters and ensure the resilience of the communities that depend on them. This is a historic investment, building on over 50 years of collaboration under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. The Great Lakes are a source of pride for Canadians and Americans alike and we’ll continue to work together to preserve these waters.
Q: Will you attend the Detroit Regional Chamber’s Mackinac Conference?
A: Yes, this will be my first time. There is such massive investment underway, both from the public and private sectors, on both sides. I am struck that we have moved away from a conversation about how we can prevent the erosion of our traditional sectors into a dialogue about how we can supercharge our supply chains and cooperate to meet targets across a range of shared objectives.
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Contact Carol Cain: 248-355-7126 or clcain@cbs.com. She is senior producer/host of “Michigan Matters,” which airs 8 a.m. Sundays on CBS Detroit. See former Congresswoman Brenda Lawrence, MPLP Co-Director Tonya Schuitmaker and Rudy Hobbs, and Matt Grossmann of Michigan State University's Institute for Public Policy and Social Research on this Sunday’s show.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: New Canadian Consul General talks EVs, Gordie Howe bridge and Line 5
