NEWS RELEASE

Canada–United States IPG attends Canadian/American Border Trade Alliance Spring Virtual Conference

From 3–4 May 2021, the Honourable Senator Michael L. MacDonald and the Honourable Wayne Easter, P.C., M.P., co-chairs of the Canadian Section of the Canada–United States Inter-Parliamentary Group (IPG), led a delegation of eight IPG members to the Canadian/American Border Trade Alliance’s (Can/Am BTA’s) Spring 2021 Virtual Conference.

Senator MacDonald and Mr. Easter made remarks at the event, which also included panel sessions on such topics as land border crossings and the Canada–United States–Mexico Agreement, as well as an update from the U.S. Northern Border Caucus.

Senator MacDonald acknowledged the legacy of Jim Phillips, the Can/Am BTA’s founder and former President and CEO, and commended Pat Whalen for assuming leadership of the Can/Am BTA. In speaking about the IPG’s activities over the past year, Senator MacDonald said: “With the shared border closed to non-essential travel, it is crucial that the Can/Am BTA is able to continue its work to strengthen the Canada–U.S. relationship.” He emphasized that “Canada’s most important bilateral relationship is with the United States.”

Mr. Easter discussed the IPG’s future priorities and stated: “As we look to ‘build back better’ from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, collaboration with our U.S. counterparts is absolutely vital.” He stressed that “having a plan to reopen the common border safely must be a priority for legislators in both countries.”

The Can/Am BTA is a coalition of businesses, public-sector organizations and individuals with an interest in bilateral trade and tourism. Its mission is to increase commercial activity between Canada and the United States, ensure the continued growth of cross-border trade, and improve border-crossing capabilities.

The views expressed in this news release are specific to the Canadian Section of the Canada–United States IPG.

The Canada–United States IPG aims to find points of convergence in respective national policies, to initiate dialogue on points of divergence, to encourage the exchange of information and to promote better understanding among legislators on shared issues of concern. Additional information on the IPG can be found at www.parl.ca/CEUS.

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For further information:

Grant McLaughlin, Association Secretary
Canada–U.S. Inter-Parliamentary Group - 613-944-4238