Report

From December 4 to 7 2024, the Honourable Senator Jim Quinn, Vice-Chair of the Canadian Section of the Canada–United States Inter-Parliamentary Group (the Group), led a delegation of members of the Group to the Council of State Governments (CSG) National Conference, held in New Orleans, Louisiana. The other delegates were the honourable senators Victor Boudreau and Andrew Cardozo. Staff accompanying the conference was Marie Dumont, Advisor of the Association.

THE OBJECTIVES OF THE CANADA-UNITED STATES INTER-PARLIAMENTARY GROUP

The 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. Members of the Group’s Canadian Section meet regularly with their U.S. federal counterparts and also attend conferences with state governors and legislators.

The CSG National’s Annual Meeting provides a forum for the Canadian section of the Group to dialogue with U.S. with state legislators and learn about topics of importance to both countries.

ACTIVITIES DURING THE NATIONAL CONFERENCE

The 2024 CSG National Conference offered numerous sessions about different public policy issues affecting the United States and Canada, as well as leadership workshops to provide legislators with skills development. Delegates participated in sessions that included such topics as artificial intelligence, the 2024 elections, energy and natural resources, and defence and veterans’ affairs.

For the first time, the Canadian Section of the Group and the Consulate General of Canada to the United States, in Dallas, Texas, worked together to host a booth at the CSG National Conference’s “Innovation Alley.” This booth highlighted the importance of Canada and the U.S. as “Friends, Partners, Allies.” Targeted goods and services trade profiles highlighting Canada’s economic relationship with state districts were distributed to legislators. In addition, maple syrup, customized gum, and socks with symbols from both countries were shared with U.S. legislators. This booth was a key opportunity for delegates to engage in conversation with U.S. state legislators and other conference attendees.

INFORMATION SESSIONS

The sections below outline key information from certain sessions of the CSG National Conference 2024.

General Session Lunch with Keynote Speaker Louis Jacobson

Louis Jacobson, Chief Correspondent, PolitiFact

• There arel ong-term obstacles for Democrats, as well as indications that the Democrats can rebuild:
  • There are notable challenges, including the structure of the U.S. Senate and population trends, including that the Sun Belt area of the U.S. is changing its political allegiance towards Republican.
  • Indications that the Democrats can rebuild include:that Democratic ideas are popular, there was less of a lead for Republicans on a percentage of votes basis, and that there is a global phenomenon of low approval ratings for incumbent
• The Republican party had several strengths during the 2024 elections, including that Donald Trump is a “political force of nature” and that the anti-incumbent wave is very strong.

Powering the Future: Meeting Our Nation’s Energy Needs for the Next 25 Years

Frédéric Sourgens, Director, Tulane Energy Law Center

Chris McLindon, Director of Energy Education and Outreach, LSU Center for Energy Studies

• There are several initiatives that state governments can undertake to improve energy security. These include
  • Fixing property regimes and sub-surface property rights to clarify the ownership of natural resources on properties
  • Supporting data centres by ensuring that there is adequate electricity to meet their energy needs, including by enabling the creation of generators; and
  • Developing infrastructure to support carbon capture, utilization and storage, including a transportation pipeline regime for carbon dioxide.

Growing State Economies through International Trade and Direct Foreign Investment

David Bennett, Executive Director of Business Development, Louisiana Economic Development

Andy Karellas, Executive Director, State International Development Organizations

• International engagement is important, with exports accounting for approximately 12% of the U.S.’ national gross domestic product (GDP).

• Among U.S. states, Louisiana is the within the top three highest exporter of goods. Any retaliatory tariffs would be economically detrimental for the state.

• As outlined in a study, jobs that rely on international trade tend to pay 16% higher than non-trade dependent jobs, regardless of college degree required for the job.

Election 2024: Insights and Analysis of National and State Election Results and Trends

Tom Hicks, Designated Federal Officer, Board of Advisors, U.S. Election Assistance Commission

• The Department of Homeland Security has declared election systems to be part of the U.S. critical infrastructure. The U.S. Election Assistance Commission assists state and local election officials with supporting the accessibility, accuracy and security of elections.

• Every state election requires a continuity of operations plan in the case of a disaster.

Katy Owens Hubler, Project Manager, Elections and Redistricting, National Council of State Legislatures

• In general, the 2024 elections went really well, with the exception of a few polling place disruptions, including some false information and many bomb threats.

• The results of gubernatorial elections resulted in the same party distribution for states: 27 Republican governors and 23 Democratic governors.

• The distribution of seats in state senates and lower house legislatures is the following:
  • 55.4% Republican.
  • 43.6% Democrat; and
  • Approximately 1% Independents.

• The percentage of women in state legislatures remained the same, at 32%.

Behind the Scenes: PolitiFact’s Approach to Accuracy

Louis Jacobson, Chief Correspondent, PolitiFact

• There are several interesting policy outcomes relating to ballot measures from the 2024 elections, including the following:
  • Two states, Alaska and Missouri, voted to increase the minimum wage.
  • South Dakota has placed work requirements on individuals who are eligible for expanded Medicaid benefits.
  • The Five states that had ballot measures to legalize cannabis saw the measures fail, only Nebraska has now legalized medical marijuana.
  • Ranked choice voting was a ballot measure that failed in all states where it was a ballot measure, except for the District of Columbia which will have ranked choice voting moving forward.

How State Officials Can Use Artificial Intelligence to Better Serve Their Constituents and Enhance Government Performance

Amy Glasscock, Program Director for Innovation and Emerging Issues, National Association of State Chief Information Officers

• By June 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, approximately 75% of U.S. states were using chatbots on websites to communicate information.

• There are three major challenges for U.S. states concerning artificial intelligence (AI), these are that:
  • most states lack governance around AI
  • the public sector tends to have a lack of skills on AI, one reason is that the private sector has higher paid jobs in this domain; and
  • the quality of data is a huge problem.

Neil Kleinman, Urban Policy Professor, Northeastern University’s School of Public Policy

• There is a disconnect between the hysteria and reality of AI because there are several safe and reliable ways to use AI effectively

• AI does an incredible job of translating, including translating complex legislation to plain language.

• AI should be treated like a helpful colleague who tends to hallucinate.

Keynote Speaker: Mitch Landrieu, Mayor, City of New Orleans from 2010-2018

• As the U.S. federal government changes the way it approaches some responsibilities, for example if the federal government defunds Medicaid, states will need to pass bills to compensate for less of a federal presence.

• As mayor, Mr. Landrieu understood that there were two things that mayors could not do, signing treaties and declaring war. Accordingly, he sought to improve trade and connecting New Orleans with other jurisdictions. State legislators should also be aware of the possibilities within their role.

CONCLUDING REMARKS

The Canadian Section of the Group’s participation at the CSG National Conference 2024 was an opportunity for delegates to engage directly with U.S. state senators and representatives. By collaborating with the Consulate General of Canada to the United States, in Dallas, Texas in hosting a booth at the conference’s “Innovation Alley,” the delegation was able to communicate the importance of Canada’s relationship with the U.S. to conference attendees in a more formal setting. This conference was a key opportunity for the Canadian Section to enhance connections with U.S. legislators at a pivotal time for the relationship.

Travel Expenses

Travel expenses associated with this activity can be found in the delegation’s financial report. This report is available in the Financial Disclosure section of the Parliamentary Diplomacy website.

Respectfully submitted,