Macleans magazine has a short profile on David Wilkins, the 58 year old former speaker of the South Carolina house who is replacing Paul Cellucci as the US ambassador to Canada.

Wilkins has been to Canada once, and his lack of knowledge may well be an asset for him.
Cellucci didn’t impress the average Canadian when he publically commented on internal issues, and hopefully Wilkins has learned from that.

Both men are strong Bush loyalists. That’s part of what an ambassador needs to be. He is coming to a post that has experienced staff behind him.

Macleans mentions on his parting speech in SC.

“God told me to go to Canada, new U.S. ambassador says,” reported several Canadian newspapers after Wilkins gave a farewell speech to the state legislature where he’d served as speaker for almost 11 years. It was thick with religious references, which only underscored his record of co-sponsoring bills that included a ban on gay marriage and equal rights for the unborn. But faith and ideology are only part of the Wilkins story, and he’s eager to transcend the cartoon. Tall and balding, trying to relax amid the detritus of packing at his family home in Greenville, S.C., he was taking the fuss in stride. “They’re already having fun with me,” the good-humoured 58-year-old chuckled.

That’s not news, it’s his culture and his belief system. Any Canadian that has been south know discussing politics or religion gets you prostelized. We go south for vacations and learn pretty quickly to just shut up and enjoy the vacation.

I think Wilkins is coming to his post with a healthy attitude, a necessary sense of humour and an energy that will serve him well. He speaks for the US president, he also speaks to the US president.

Canadian media playing the faith/Republican scare card isn’t going to cut it.

I wish Wilkins and his family well. At least the hot Canadian summer will be in his favour as he moves in. The blizzards and cold will come soon enough.