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Canadian Parliamentarians meet with Governors from the U.S. West From June 9-12, 2012, Mr. Rick Dykstra, M.P., Vice-Chair led a delegation from the Canadian Section of the Canada-United States Inter-Parliamentary Group (IPG) to the annual meeting of the Western Governors’ Association (WGA) in Cle Elum, Washington. The other delegate was Mr. Mike Sullivan, M.P.
“I was pleased to have the opportunity to speak with Governors from the United States western states. When I meet with U.S. legislators, I am consistently struck by the opportunities that our two countries have to work together – on economic, trade, energy and other issues – for our joint benefit. According to recent figures, more than 2.7 million jobs in the 19 U.S. states in the WGA rely on Canada-U.S. trade. Merchandise trade was recently valued at about US$41.6 billion in exports from the 19 states to Canada, and just under US$75 billion in imports by them from Canada. I was fortunate to have an opportunity to meet Alberta Premier Redford, who was attending her first WGA meeting. The presence of Canada’s premiers at the WGA meeting illustrates how well our countries work together,” said Mr. Dykstra.
Mr. Sullivan concluded: “I too was happy to be able to attend the meeting. The sessions were very interesting and – from a Canadian perspective – the WGA’s activities over the next year may present opportunities for Canada. Utah’s Governor Herbert is the incoming WGA chair, and his focus for the year will be responsible energy development. During the meeting, the discussions on energy included electricity transmission, reflecting a U.S. priority on clean energy. Canada, of course, is the most stable and secure supplier of energy – including electricity – to the United States, and we work closely together on a range of energy issues. I also enjoyed the opportunity to speak with Alberta Premier Redford and Manitoba Premier Selinger at the annual meeting.”
The Western Governors’ Association includes the Governors from 19 western states as well as from American Samoa, Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands. The Canadian Premiers from British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba also participate in the WGA’s activities. The WGA uses six basic strategies: develop and communicate regional policy; serve as a leadership forum; build regional capacity; conduct research and disseminate findings; form coalitions and partnerships in order to advance regional interests; and build public understanding and support for regional issues and policy positions. More information on the WGA can be found at www.westgov.org.
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 Group can be found at: www.parl.gc.ca/iia/us. -30- For further information: Canada-U.S. Inter-Parliamentary Group -
613-943-1430 Canada-U.S. Inter-Parliamentary Group -
613-992-8756 Canada-U.S. Inter-Parliamentary Group - 613-944-4238
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