Outside of @MagnaInt, his unique influence & thoughtful manner as chair of the Canadian Automotive Partnership Council has been a steadying force for 2 decades.
He challenged us to think globally as the waves bashed our shores. Crisis after crisis, Don led from the front. /2
Don’s tenure will be marked not just by the incredible rise of @MagnaInt but by the tide that caused so many other boats to follow.
His contribution to the NAFTA renegotiation was pivotal in mitigating extremes in the balance between suppliers & OEMs, between the US & Can/Mex /3
Don took over the biggest supplier in Canada and turned it into the most influential supplier in the world.
@MagnaInt makes parts, systems & cars for OEMs. The firm’s flag flies in 330 places around the world, representing Canada as much as it does the future.
That is Don. /4
The final & most lasting legacy of the Walker era is the quality of people that his leadership has attracted to @MagnaInt.
I have been fortunate to work with so many global leaders in their own disciplines there as they build one of the greatest mobility firms of the future. /5
One of those @MagnaInt people is Swamy Kotagiri. Everyone in auto knows him to be one of the leading forces in technological innovation in product & process design.
The public will soon see how thoughtful he is about the role & responsibility of mobility in wider society. /6
I’ve always believed that the greats know how to say hello & when to say goodbye with grace.
Don Walker always had impeccable timing. He leaves the stage as the central actor in a play that was seemingly written for him.
I’d call it ‘Don’t Go Too Far, We Might Need You.’
/End
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In March the entire world faced a critical shortage of life-saving PPE & ventilators. For Canada, all of these items were imported & we faced a grave situation.
I challenged auto suppliers to step up & they responded overwhelmingly and immediately. /2
I am sharing because I want everyone to see what we are seeing every single day here.
This is not window dressing. @Lavaltool made tools for masks without being asked, Mitchell Plastics has made 100k face shields without a PO, @CavalierTool has been working around the clock too.
My team have been in contact with government officials &companies around the clock & around the world 7 days a week for over a month.
We are all on the same spinning rock circling a fireball. We are born and we die.
The only thing that matters is how we treat each other.
In a week where we hosted @JustinTrudeau I reflected yesterday that I’ve met 8 Canadian Prime Ministers in my life.
Putting aside those I met & simply greeted, here’s some Sunday morning reflections & anecdotes for #cdnpoli on the others.
Here goes /1
My father was a rookie opposition MP in Brian Mulroney’s second term. My grandfather, his father, passed away suddenly in 1989, the following year.
As we gathered at my Nonno’s house that day, a 13 yr old me answered the kitchen telephone. “Hello”, said the baritone caller /2
‘Hello’ I responded. “Who is this?” ‘Flavio’. “Flavio, its Brian Mulroney calling. Can I speak to Joe”.
I retrieved my father from the living room & told him there was a call for him. I can still picture him on the phone, 5 min at least, tears in his eyes.
On this NAFTA journey, I’ve met with negotiators of each country, attended every round, had meetings with the White House in DC, at the Palacio Nacional in Mexico City and the PMO in Ottawa. 1/
I’ve spoken directly with the President of Mexico and hosted the Prime Minister of Canada. I work closely with my counterparts in all 3 countries and I speak all day long with companies that are affected and invested.
I speak with reporters all over the world on the record. 2/
In spite of my exposure and investment in a positive NAFTA outcome, I can’t tell you with certainty what the outcome will be and what chief negotiators are thinking.
Its a high stakes negotiation between 3 sovereign countries with much at risk. It’s not done in public. /3