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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 21, 2012 Canadian Parliamentarians attend meeting with U.S. state legislators From August 6-9, 2012, members of the Canadian Section of the Canada-United States Inter-Parliamentary Group (IPG) attended the annual legislative summit of the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), which was held in Chicago, Illinois. The delegation included four Vice-Chairs of the Canadian Section – the Honourable Wayne Easter, P.C., M.P., Senator Michael L. MacDonald, Mr. Rick Dykstra, M.P. and Mr. Brian Masse, M.P. – as well as Senator Jim Munson and Mr. Merv Tweed, M.P. The legislative summit, which was attended by state legislators from all regions of the United States, included a number of general sessions and standing committee meetings, among other activities. In particular, the more than 5,000 registered attendees participated in meetings of the following NCSL standing committees: Agriculture and Energy; Budgets and Revenue; Communications, Financial Services and Interstate Commerce; Education; Environment; Health; Human Services and Welfare; Labor and Economic Development; Law and Criminal Justice; Legislative Effectiveness; Redistricting and Elections; and Transportation. The Canadian Section was pleased to have the opportunity to participate in a meeting of the Labor and Economic Development Standing Committee, with the Honourable Wayne Easter speaking at a session titled “Fostering International Trade in Today’s Global Economy.” At the legislative summit, presentations were made on a variety of subjects, many of which have relevance for Canada; at these meetings, IPG delegates benefitted from information that will inform their legislative work in Canada. Specifically, the subjects of the sessions were: agriculture and rural development; banking and financial services; budget and tax; economic development and trade; education; elections and redistricting; energy and electric utilities; environmental protection; government; health; health reform; human services and welfare; immigration; insurance; international; jobs; juvenile justice; labor and employment; law and criminal justice; leadership; legislatures; natural resources; pensions; telecommunications and information technology; and transportation. The National Conference of State Legislatures is a bipartisan organization serving the legislators and legislative staff of the 50 U.S. states as well as its commonwealths and territories. With its standing committees comprised of legislators and legislative staff, the NCSL provides research, technical assistance and a venue for the exchange of ideas on state issues. It should be noted that the views expressed in this news release are specific to the Canadian Section of the Canada-United States Inter-Parliamentary Group and, as such, may not reflect the views of U.S. 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 IPG can be found at www.parl.gc.ca/iia/us. -30- For further information:
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