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ENERGY, THE ENVIRONMENT AND THE WHTI CONTINUE TO BE IMPORTANT ISSUES FOR CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES From 25-26 June 2007, Mr. Gord Brown, M.P. and the Honourable Wayne Easter, P.C., M.P., Vice-Chairs of the Canada-United States Inter-Parliamentary Group, led a delegation of the Group to the 31st Conference of the New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers in Prince Edward Island (delegate list attached). “Meetings with Governors and Premiers provide federal legislators with a critical opportunity to identify areas where both countries as well as federal and provincial/state governments must work together for the benefit of residents in Canada and the United States,” said Mr. Brown. Mr. Brown continued: “From my perspective as a legislator who represents Canadians living along our shared border, discussions on the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative were particularly important. The Group has been working hard on this issue for many months, and I was pleased that the Governors and Premiers adopted a resolution that would delay the implementation of the land and sea portion of the Initiative. The comments made by experts on a variety of demographic change issues, and their implications for both countries, were also useful in helping to identify actions that must be taken today to avoid problems in the future.” “Having recently attended a meeting with Governors from western states and Western Canadian Premiers, I was particularly interested in discussions about energy and the environment, which were important at that meeting as well. Since these issues affect citizens in all regions of both countries, I expect that they will also be discussed at other meetings as members of the Group continue to meet with Governors and state legislators throughout the summer,” commented Mr. Easter. Mr. Easter concluded: “Also important was a presentation on the Atlantic Gateway. Having represented Atlantic Canadians for more than a decade, I was particularly interested in this discussion, since the Gateway will be critical for the future economic prosperity of the provinces, states and residents in this region.” At the meeting, a presentation was also made on the 400th anniversary of Québec City in 2008. The Group’s aim is to find points of convergence in our respective national policies, initiate dialogue on points of divergence, encourage the exchange of information, and promote better understanding between Canadian and American legislators on shared issues of concern. - 30 - For further information:
31st Conference of the New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers List of Delegates Canada-United States Inter-Parliamentary Group
Gord Brown, Member of Parliament Leeds—Grenville, Ontario Hon. Wayne Easter, P.C., Member of Parliament Malpeque, Prince Edward Island Hon. Marilyn Trenholme Counsell, Senator New Brunswick Paul Crête, Member of Parliament Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup
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