Ambassador David L. Cohen on what he misses about Comcast and why Pa. should trade more with Canada
In one of his first U.S. interviews since becoming ambassador, Cohen talks to The Inquirer about his new role.
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Philadelphia power player David L. Cohen, President Joe Biden’s ambassador to Canada, on Tuesday hosted the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia and about 50 Philly business leaders as part of an official trade delegation visit to the country’s capital in Ottawa, Ontario.
It’s the first such delegation trip in years, and both sides hope to cement trade opportunities between Canadian and Philadelphian small and medium-sized businesses, Cohen said in one of his first U.S. interviews since Biden’s appointment in November.
Cohen, a political powerhouse, and his wife, Rhonda, held a 2019 Biden campaign fund-raiser at his West Mount Airy home when Cohen was still senior executive vice president of Comcast Corp.
» READ MORE: Philly’s David L. Cohen confirmed as U.S. ambassador to Canada
The Philly delegation to Canada included more than a dozen business owners, including the founders of biotech companies Spirovant, LucasPye BIO, and EMSCO Scientific Enterprises, Latin restaurant El Merkury, and food delivery service Black and Mobile. High-profile attendees include private-equity investor Osagie Imasogie and Wharton School dean Erika James.
The delegation aims to reenergize Philadelphia’s economy following the COVID-19 pandemic. “This is a Philly-centric trip,” Cohen said. “For me, this came out of conversation Sue Jacobson [chair of the Greater Philly Chamber board] and I had six months ago about bringing a trade delegation to Canada. We focused on small and medium-sized businesses. That’s a passion of mine. They were disproportionately hammered in the pandemic.”
Cohen spoke with The Inquirer on the day he met with the delegation to lay out the case for more trade between Pennsylvania and Canada, his focus on working with previously underrepresented business owners, and what he misses most about Philadelphia. Questions and answers have been edited for length and clarity.
Talk about the current political and economic relationship between the U.S. and Canada. There have been some sore points on trade, especially U.S. tariffs on Canadian softwood lumber and the recent trucker strike and blockade on the border.
I have multiple responsibilities as U.S. ambassador to Canada. One is to rebuild the trust of the relationship, which has taken a hit over the last five years or so. Canada and the U.S. historically have a very close relationship based on trade, defense, a shared set of values, and a commitment to democracy. It’s been a difficult time.
My job is to rebuild that relationship and make sure Canadians understand we are their best friends and they’re ours. I’ve spent a lot of time traveling and meeting with people, government officials, nonprofits, community leaders.
The president wants to rebuild and build the friendship. There wasn’t a confirmed U.S. ambassador in Canada since 2019, so it had been two or three years without one. The prior ambassador [Kelly Craft], who I like as a person, and who is a very smart person, she didn’t really love this job, she wasn’t in Canada that much, even when she was the U.S. ambassador to Canada.”
Will you be discussing lumber tariffs on this trip? Canada subsidizes its timber industry, and that’s been a source of frustration for the U.S., which imposed tariffs under President Donald Trump.
The issue of softwood lumber duties has been around for 40 or 50 years. It arises out of what the U.S. believes is some discriminatory treatment toward Canadian lumber producers.
There are what some people refer to as “irritants” between the two countries. This is one of those irritants. They are issues that the U.S. would like to see resolved. But it requires negotiations between the two countries, the various industries and stakeholders, including Canadian and U.S. lumber producers and home builders, who have a different perspective on this as major consumers of lumber. It is an issue that ultimately needs to be resolved. But really it’s a pimple on the overall relationship and the trade relationship.
The U.S. and Canada have $2 billion per day in cross-border trade. More than 30 states count Canada as their number one trading partner — including Pennsylvania.
Canada was Pennsylvania’s largest trading partner in 2021, with $25 billion in two-way trade last year. Pennsylvania sells more to Canada than the next four foreign trading destinations combined. And that’s with the softwood lumber and dairy tariff disputes percolating. [Note: Pennsylvania’s four other top trading partners are Mexico, China, the U.K. and Japan].
What about the trucker strike on the Canada-U.S. crossing border?
It hasn’t come up recently, and it’s largely subsided in the Canadian mentality. It was a big issue mostly because of the impact on trade. The truckers successfully closed the Ambassador Bridge, the largest border crossing and estimated $300 million a day in goods blocked from transport. It’s not something we’re discussing today.
Is there going to be a reconsideration of the Keystone XL pipeline, or other oil and gas pipelines from Canada to the U.S.?
The issue of pipelines is an oil and gas energy issue. It’s more prominent in the western part of Canada, particularly Alberta, an oil-producing province.
President Biden’s revocation of permits for the XL Pipeline was unpopular in Alberta. It was extremely unpopular.
As the president positioned it, there’s tension between our climate change aspirations and getting to net zero emissions by 2050 and continued reliance on fossil fuels. People, generally speaking, understand the balance between fossil fuels and a transition away from fossil fuels toward alternative forms of energy.
Most of the businesses in oil and gas understand the need for transition. They’re focused on alternative forms of energy. They’re bound and determined that Alberta remain a leader.
Their big story is exploratory work and research to use existing pipelines to transport hydrogen, largely fossil-free fuel. The Canadian government will sponsor research to transport hydrogen.”
Many of the delegates on this trip are Philadelphians of color. Why that focus for this visit?
We have from Philly 55 people here from 21 different companies. The majority are owned by women, people of color and underrepresented groups. We’re trying to bring them together. We have panels talking about things like barriers they faced during pandemic, how recovery is proceeding, support they might need from the governments and larger business community, and importance of diversity to their recovery.
How is life after Comcast? Do you miss working in Philadelphia?
I love every job with passion that I have, for as long as I have that job. I loved practicing law. I loved being chief of staff to [then-Philly Mayor] Ed Rendell. When I went back as chair of the Ballard Spahr law firm, I loved every day. I loved every day at Comcast. Now that I’m U.S. ambassador to Canada, I love every day.
Part of my effectiveness is that I put blinders on and am exclusively focused on being ambassador.
That said, I miss Philadelphia. I miss my friends. I haven’t been back to socialize at all; a few friends have come up to visit us in Ottawa. That’s why I’m so excited about this trip. I’m seeing over 50 Philadelphians!
I obviously miss my friends at Comcast. I’d be crazy to say there’s nothing I miss. I miss Ralph’s, the cafeteria, in the building. There are days I have IT problems and miss the IT support at Comcast.
I still talk to people at Comcast. I spoke with [CEO] Brian Roberts this morning. But it’s just catching up on the big Philly trip.
I’m totally disentangled from an ethics perspective. I had to resign from my life. Not only from Comcast, and everything related, but all the nonprofit boards I was on, the National Urban League, the University of Pennsylvania board.
The secretary of state and the president, they want me 100% focused. That’s what I signed up for.