NEWS RELEASE

CANADIAN PARLIAMENTARIANS ATTEND MEETING OF MIDWESTERN STATE LEGISLATORS

From 8–12 July 2017, Mr. Brian Masse, M.P., Vice-Chair of the Canadian Section of the Canada–United States Inter-Parliamentary Group (IPG), led a delegation to the 72^nd annual meeting of the Council of State Government’s Midwestern Legislative Conference (MLC) in Des Moines, Iowa. The other members of the delegation were Mr. Fayçal El-Khoury, M.P. and Mr. Larry Maguire, M.P.

“The MLC’s meetings are extremely useful,” said Mr. Masse. “They allow legislators from the MLC states and provinces to establish and strengthen their relationships, and to build consensus on issues that are important to both the Midwestern region of our countries and our nations more generally. Certainly, the discussions on economic development, the opioid crisis and the next U.S. Farm Bill are among those that were informative for both Canadian and American legislators who attended the MLC’s annual meeting.”

Mr. Masse concluded: “As well, the IPG’s Canadian Section is always interested in the discussions that occur at the MLC’s Midwest–Canada Relations Committee, which is very focused on the bilateral relationship. This year, valuable conversations also occurred about the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement, which is likely to begin very soon. Certainly, the outcome of those negotiations is expected to affect residents and businesses in both of our countries.”

The MLC is a regional association of legislators from 11 U.S. states and four affiliated Canadian provinces. The purpose of the MLC is to foster regional intergovernmental cooperation in the U.S. Midwest through the joint consideration of common problems, the interchange of information and ideas, the sharing of knowledge and experience and, as appropriate, the pursuit of collaborative efforts to improve state government. Information about the MLC is available at www.csgmidwest.org.

It should be noted that the views expressed in this news release are specific to the Canadian Section of the Canada–United States IPG. As such, they may not reflect the opinions of U.S. counterparts.

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/iia/us.

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For further information:

Hon. Michael L. MacDonald, Senator, Co-Chair
Canada–U.S. Inter-Parliamentary Group - 613-995-1866

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