NEWS RELEASE

Canadian Parliamentarians meet with legislators from U.S. Eastern States and Canadian Eastern Provinces

From 7–10 August 2016, Senator Paul Massicotte, Vice-Chair led a delegation from the Canadian Section of the Canada–United States Inter-Parliamentary Group to the 2016 Annual Meeting and Regional Policy Forum of the Council of State Governments’ Eastern Regional Conference (ERC). The other delegates were Senator Bob Runciman, the Hon. Candice Bergen, P.C., M.P., the Hon. Denis Paradis, P.C., M.P. and Mr. Pierre-Luc Dusseault, M.P. The meeting, which was held in Quebec City, Quebec, had the theme of “Global Challenges, Regional Solutions.”

“I know that I speak on behalf of the delegation when I say that we were delighted to be able to attend the CSG/ERC’s annual meeting,” said Senator Massicotte. “While there, we were able to discuss – with members of provincial and state legislatures – a range of topics of common interest. These topics include Canada–U.S. relations, energy and the environment, agriculture and prescription drug costs.”

Senator Massicotte concluded: “As well, we were fortunate to hear from Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard and Maine Governor Paul LePage, who participated in a discussion entitled ‘A Regional Partnership for Shared Prosperity.’ Certainly, as our two countries remain focused on growth and prosperity, regional partnerships are a key tool for achieving our goals in these areas.”

The ERC is a regional association of state legislators from 18 member legislatures from Canada and the United States (see the Appendix). By facilitating cooperation among its member jurisdictions, the ERC promotes multi-state or region-wide solutions to the problems and challenges facing state and provincial legislators. Information on the ERC is available at www.csgeast.org.

The views expressed in this news release are specific to the Canadian Section of the Canada–United States Inter-Parliamentary Group. As such, they may not reflect the views of United States counterparts.

The Canada–United States Inter-Parliamentary Group 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 Group can be found at www.parl.gc.ca/iia/us.

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For further information:

Hon. Janis Johnson, Senator, Co-Chair
Canada–U.S. Inter-Parliamentary Group - 613-943-1430

Hon. Wayne Easter, P.C., M.P., Co-Chair
Canada–U.S. Inter-Parliamentary Group - 613-992-2406

Ms. Miriam Burke, Association Secretary
Canada–U.S. Inter-Parliamentary Group - 613-944-4238