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Getting it DoneA Memoir |
eBook Available
Canada's most senior diplomat and public servant reflects on his central role in Canadian public affairs and the foreign service.
Whether it was organizing Canada's first G-7 Summit or concluding the Free Trade agreement, Derek Burney fused politics, public policy, and diplomacy into a fine art. His tenure as chief of staff to Brian Mulroney is often cited as a model of how the Prime Minister's Office should work. As Canada's ambassador to the United States from 1989-1993 he had an insider's perspective of ways in which Canada manages, and sometimes mismanages, its relationship with the world's superpower. His career in Canada's foreign service spanned three decades, with assignments in Japan and Korea, and he served in Ottawa as deputy minister..
In a candid memoir, Burney paints a vivid picture of leading politicians, including Pierre Trudeau using an off-colour joke to break the ice with Ronald Reagan, Colin Powell becoming upset over Canadian concerns about collateral damage in the first Gulf War, and George Bush Sr chafing at the excessive European flavour of G-7 summits.
In a candid memoir, Burney paints a vivid picture of leading politicians, including Pierre Trudeau using an off-colour joke to break the ice with Ronald Reagan, Colin Powell becoming upset over Canadian concerns about collateral damage in the first Gulf War, and George Bush Sr chafing at the excessive European flavour of G-7 summits.
Details
240 Pages, 6 x 9
ISBN 9780773529267
April 2005
Formats: Cloth, eBook
"Lester Pearson once noted that 'politics is a skilled use of blunt objects.' Derek Burney was a blunt and talented object used skillfully on behalf of Canada. He could and did get things done. His book is a must read for devotees of the study of government." John Crosbie
"Getting it Done ranges over diplomacy, dealing with the Americans, handling Brian Mulroney - all with Burney's customary no-nonsense, get-to-the-point, time's-a-wasting style." Jeffrey Simpson, The Globe and Mail
"Burney was a master at handling - even driving - Canada's complex relations with the United States and pursuing Canada's interests (and managing its sensitivities) while building respect and friendship, too. His career is a window on a modern Canada's ties with the world." US Ambassador Robert B. Zoellick
"Derek Burney played a pivotal role in managing the complex, vital relationship between Canada and the United States for more than a decade. He is regarded in the US as a particularly insightful and effective advocate for Canada. His memoir provides compelling prescriptions on how personalities can and do make a difference." Peter McPherson, deputy secretary of Treasury in the Reagan Administration and president of Michigan State University
"I worked closely with Derek Burney when he served as Canada's Ambassador in Washington. His memoir describes candidly and accurately how close and effective Canada-United States relations were during that period. I appreciated his direct and determined style and the highly efficient manner in which he represented Canadian interests." General Brent Scowcroft, national security advisor to George Bush Sr
"This book is a must-read for anyone interested in Canadian policy of all kinds, but particularly policy toward the U.S." William Watson, Department of Economics, McGill University
"Getting it Done ranges over diplomacy, dealing with the Americans, handling Brian Mulroney - all with Burney's customary no-nonsense, get-to-the-point, time's-a-wasting style." Jeffrey Simpson, The Globe and Mail
"Burney was a master at handling - even driving - Canada's complex relations with the United States and pursuing Canada's interests (and managing its sensitivities) while building respect and friendship, too. His career is a window on a modern Canada's ties with the world." US Ambassador Robert B. Zoellick
"Derek Burney played a pivotal role in managing the complex, vital relationship between Canada and the United States for more than a decade. He is regarded in the US as a particularly insightful and effective advocate for Canada. His memoir provides compelling prescriptions on how personalities can and do make a difference." Peter McPherson, deputy secretary of Treasury in the Reagan Administration and president of Michigan State University
"I worked closely with Derek Burney when he served as Canada's Ambassador in Washington. His memoir describes candidly and accurately how close and effective Canada-United States relations were during that period. I appreciated his direct and determined style and the highly efficient manner in which he represented Canadian interests." General Brent Scowcroft, national security advisor to George Bush Sr
"This book is a must-read for anyone interested in Canadian policy of all kinds, but particularly policy toward the U.S." William Watson, Department of Economics, McGill University
Derek H. Burney served as chief of staff to Brian Mulroney from 1987-1989 and was Canada's ambassador to the United States from 1989-1993. He was also the prime minister's personal representative at the Houston (1990), London (1991), and Munich (1992) G-7 Economic Summits. He was awarded the Public Service of Canada's Outstanding Achievement Award in 1992 and was named an officer of the Order of Canada in 1993. He is adjunct professor and senior distinguished fellow at Carleton University.
Getting it Done
Derek Burney
Table of Contents
Foreword
The Honourable John Crosbie / vii
Preface / ix
Illustrations following pages 56 and 150
1 Early Days: Lasting Influences / 3
2 Entering External, 1963?1965 / 9
3 Japan, 1965?1972 / 17
4 Headquarters, 1972?1978 / 33
5 Korea, 1978?1980 / 46
6 Ottawa, 1980?1987 / 57
7 New Government: New Direction / 70
8 The Prime Minister?s Office: The Most Foreign Assignment of All / 83
9 Free Trade: Getting It Done / 108
10 Washington: The Best Job in the Foreign Service / 133
11 Washington: The Issues / 151
12 Managing Canada?US Relations: A Matter of Choice / 177
13 Looking Back / 192
Index / 197
Derek Burney
Table of Contents
Foreword
The Honourable John Crosbie / vii
Preface / ix
Illustrations following pages 56 and 150
1 Early Days: Lasting Influences / 3
2 Entering External, 1963?1965 / 9
3 Japan, 1965?1972 / 17
4 Headquarters, 1972?1978 / 33
5 Korea, 1978?1980 / 46
6 Ottawa, 1980?1987 / 57
7 New Government: New Direction / 70
8 The Prime Minister?s Office: The Most Foreign Assignment of All / 83
9 Free Trade: Getting It Done / 108
10 Washington: The Best Job in the Foreign Service / 133
11 Washington: The Issues / 151
12 Managing Canada?US Relations: A Matter of Choice / 177
13 Looking Back / 192
Index / 197
