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Canadian Parliamentarians attend meeting of Governors from the U.S. South From September 6-9, 2013, Mr. Gord Brown, M.P., Co-Chair of the Canada-United States Inter-Parliamentary Group (IPG), and Mr. Brad Trost, M.P. attended the annual meeting of the Southern Governors’ Association (SGA) in Louisville, Kentucky. The meeting was focused on the theme of “Advanced Manufacturing in the American South.” “Canada and the 16 SGA states have a mutually advantageous relationship that involves a high value and volume of trade, as well as significant tourism. In fact, about 75% of the SGA states have Canada as their primary foreign export market,” said Mr. Brown. “Certainly, our countries have a long history of making things together. From that perspective, the sessions on advanced manufacturing were very informative. The manufacturing sector is vital to the prosperity of both of our countries, and it’s important to recognize the changing nature of manufacturing and to ensure that manufacturing employment is seen as a career choice, and not just a job.” Mr. Trost concluded: “I agree with my colleague about the meeting’s valuable insights regarding advanced manufacturing, and I believe that there are many areas in which our countries can work together. Presenters also spoke about the importance of energy and exports to a successful manufacturing sector, and our countries have well-established energy and trade relationships. Moreover, comments were made about innovation, infrastructure, the ‘talent pipeline,’ and a healthy population and workforce. Clearly, bilateral cooperation and the sharing of best practices in these areas would be mutually beneficial.” Founded in 1934, the Southern Governors’ Association is the oldest of the regional governors’ associations and has a long history of promoting the common interests of the Governors of the 16 U.S. southern states (see the Appendix), as well as the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. The SGA provides a bipartisan forum in which to help shape and implement national policy as well as to solve regional problems, improve the quality of life of residents of the U.S. South, and secure an economically vibrant and prosperous American South. 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: Hon. Janis Johnson,
Senator, Co-Chair
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