In-Person Event - The Québec Advantage: Providing clean, reliable and competitively-priced electricity to North America
Dinner with Ambassador David L. Cohen, Étienne Chabot & Gary Sutherland
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Québec is Canada’s largest electricity producer, primarily generating electricity through hydroelectric stations, which are clean and affordable sources of energy. Given the province’s undeniable advantages, how can Québec leverage its position to continue to provide clean and competitively-priced electricity to markets in northeastern Canada and the United States? Please join the C.D. Howe Institute for a dinner on Wednesday, June 15 to hear leaders from both Québec and the US answer tackle this question.
Ambassador David L. Cohen, United States Ambassador to Canada
David L. Cohen, US ambassador since last December, was Senior Advisor to the CEO at Comcast Corporation, where he had been Senior Executive Vice President, where his portfolio included corporate communications, legal affairs, government and regulatory affairs, public affairs, corporate administration, corporate real estate and security, and community impact. Before starting with Comcast in 2002, he was a partner and Chairman of Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll, LLP. From January 1992 to April 1997, Cohen was chief of staff to Philadelphia mayor Edward Rendell. Among his board memberships: Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania, the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, the Philadelphia Theatre Company and PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. A native of New York, Cohen graduated from Swarthmore College in 1977 and with a J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School summa cum laude in 1981. Prior to his appointment to Ottawa, he lived in Philadelphia with his wife.
Étienne Chabot, Director General, Electricity, Quebec Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources
Having first worked in the private sector and as a policy advisor in ministerial offices, Mr. Étienne Chabot subsequently held the positions of Director of Climate Expertise at the Ministère de l'Environnement et de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques (MELCC) and Director of Private Education at the Ministère de l'Éducation (MEQ). Since April 2021, Mr. Étienne Chabot is the Director General of Electricity at the Ministère de l’Énergie et des Ressources naturelles (MERN). Currently, his responsibilities include the development of energy resources for electricity production, the optimal use of electrical resources and the supervision of the activities of the Quebec electricity sector.
Gary Sutherland, Director, Strategic Affairs and Stakeholder Relations, Northeast Markets, Hydro-Québec
Gary has been with Hydro-Québec since 2007, working in public affairs, business development and as a company spokesperson in the generation, transmission and export fields. He currently holds the position of Director, Strategic Affairs and Stakeholder Relations, Northeast Markets. He has also taken a leadership role in the company’s equity, diversity and inclusion initiatives.
Gary has considerable previous experience working for an intergovernmental organization and an international environmental NGO in the energy sector and holds a master’s degree in International Relations from Laval University in Québec City. He has done volunteer work in human rights issues both in Québec and in Latin America. Gary is fluent in English, French and Spanish.
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