US Ambassador to Canada confirmed for OTA convention

TORONTO — NAFTA trade agreements, border security, and the improving Canada-U.S. relationship are all likely to be topics United States Ambassador to Canada David H. Wilkins will touch on as he addresses trucking execs at the opening breakfast at the Ontario Trucking Association’s 16th annual convention.

Ambassador Wilkins was selected to give the opening remarks after working closely with the Canadian trucking industry in addressing joint issues related to the Canada-US border, such as softwood lumber, BSE (mad cow), and the Western Hemisphere (Passport) Travel Initiative, says OTA President David Bradley.

The two-day convention takes place November 16 and 17 at the Toronto Congress Centre. This year OTA is marking its 80th anniversary with commemorative events taking place at the convention.

Ambassador Wilkins was nominated by President George W. Bush to become the Ambassador to Canada in April 2005.

Wilkins was elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives in 1980 and served there for 25 years. He quickly rose through the ranks in the House, serving six years as chairman of the House Judiciary Committee and two years as speaker pro tem before being elected speaker, a position he held for 11 years. He was the first Republican elected speaker of any legislative body in the South since the 1880s and retired as one of the longest serving speakers in the country.

Registration for Ambassador Wilkins address and other convention activities will be available from the OTA web site (www.ontruck.org) in September.