(Washington) The Senate has confirmed that David Cohen, a technology executive who once served as chief of staff to the mayor of Philadelphia, will be the next U.S. ambassador to Canada.
David Cohen, a lawyer, lobbyist and fundraiser who served as a senior advisor and head of diversity at US communications giant Comcast, was appointed in July by President Joe Biden.
He’s no stranger to politics: In addition to being Comcast’s main lobbyist, David Cohen spent five years as chief of staff to Philadelphia Mayor Ed Rendell in the 1990s.
He also hosted the first fundraising event of Joe Biden’s successful presidential campaign in 2020.
At his confirmation hearing in September, David Cohen praised the Canada-U.S. Relationship.
But he also suggested that the Biden administration was impatient with Ottawa’s long-term China policy.
“We are all waiting for Canada to publish the framework of its comprehensive policy in China,” he told members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, describing the ambitions of the autocratic regime as an “existential threat” to the states. United.
He also said he would participate in discussions to “ensure that Canada’s policies reflect his words.”
Days later, relations between the two countries – extremely strained due to China’s arbitrary detention of two Canadians, Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, following Canada’s arrest of Huawei leader Meng Wanzhou. under a US mandate – have taken a dramatic turn.
The US Department of Justice has accepted a deferred prosecution agreement for Meng Wanzhou, who has been accused of circumventing US sanctions against Iran. His release in Vancouver was followed within hours by the release of the two Canadians.
Canada has yet to officially announce whether it plans to prevent the use of Huawei equipment in the country’s ever-expanding 5G network, even though its four Five Eyes intelligence alliance partners, including the United States. United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia have already done so.