Bob Rae controls the art of reinvention

Five years after his term of office as the UN ambassador of Canada, Bob Rae says that it was an incredibly busy time with crises, but that it was also a great chance.

Since the diplomat, lawyer and former politician took the position in New York in August 2020 during the Pandemie, the Afghan government collapsed in August 2021, Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022 and Hamas came to Israel that led to the war in Gaza in Gaza in October 2023. There is also a number of people in the world.

“It has been a very busy time in terms of the crises that take place almost daily,” says Rae, speaking on the phone from New York.

However, the 77-year-old remains fearless, enthusiastic and resilient.

He has just ended a period of one year as president of the Economic and Social Council of the UN. Moreover, he has been involved in conversations about development, the situation in the middle, and serves as chairman of the advisory committee for Haiti.

“It is fascinating and extremely worthwhile for me,” he says, adding that he feels like parts of his life have come around.

In fact, his father Saul Rae was the Un ambassador of Canada in the 1970s when Bob Rae studied at the University of Toronto.

Bob Rae was born in Ottawa and when the son of a career diplomat grew up in the capital, London, Washington and Geneva before he did a BA in history, a master of philosophy at the University of Oxford and a Bachelor of Laws at Uoft.

“Our lives revolved around worldwide things and the UN and this was a great opportunity to connect all these strands in my past and current life.”

He says that his parents Lois and Saul Rae had a major influence.

What helped him succeed?

“The most important thing that I think I helped is that I had an early setback in my life when I left the university and I was not sure what I wanted to do and I went in a period of fear and depression. I had a lot of help from people who came through it.

“I think learning to deal with setbacks, how to bounce back and continue, has been a very important part of my life. I have not always been politically successful and I have had to reinvent myself several times … I think many of those life lessons have been really important.”

In the course of his career, he worked as a lawyer, taught and opted 11 times for provincial and federal parliaments. He served as Prime Minister of Ontario from 1990 to 1995 and was the first new democratic government of the province and he was the interim leader of the federal liberals from 2011 to 2013.

He says he never regrets the time he spent in politics or public life.

“I enjoyed it enormously, but I also have, I also think quite successful, understand that things come and go.”

In terms of highlights, he is fast to quote his marriage to Arlene with Arlene Rae, their three children and six grandchildren. He also greatly appreciates his friendships.

In his spare time he likes to play the piano, enjoy sports and the theater.

Rae says that five years is to be in the role of the UN ambassador and he knows it will end, but he is not sure when.

“There is always a point when you say,” What is the next step? ” And I have always been able to go back to teaching, writing, guiding and speaking about public issues, so I am sure I will do a combination of those things. ”