Canadian federal parliamentarians attend legislative summit with state legislators from throughout the U.S. From 3–6 August 2015, Senator Michael L. MacDonald, Vice-Chair, led a delegation from the Canada–United States Inter-Parliamentary Group to the annual legislative summit of the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) in Seattle, Washington. The delegation also included Senators Céline Hervieux-Payette and Victor Oh. “Having attended a number of NCSL legislative summits, I continue to be impressed by the breadth of public policy issues addressed at the dozens of sessions. The presenters are always very knowledgeable about the topics, and members of the Canadian Parliamentary delegation gain insights that affect our consideration of similar issues in Canada,” said Senator MacDonald. “As always, a broad range of the topics discussed at this year’s legislative summit had relevance for Canada, as well as for the United States, and it is important to keep our close bilateral relationship in mind as we make decisions and implement measures for the benefit of North America.” Senator MacDonald concluded: “As was the case last year, I was honoured to be able to make a presentation to international and U.S. delegates. This year, the focus of my remarks was the infrastructure, trade promotion services and skilled workforce that help to maximize Canadian opportunities in the international marketplace. Canada is a trading nation, and investments in each of these three areas have helped to position the country to meet current and future trade goals as trade patterns change and trade flows grow.” 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. 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 can be found at www.parl.gc.ca/iia/us.
-30- For further information: Hon. Janis Johnson, Senator, Co-Chair, Canada–United States Inter-Parliamentary Group 613-943-1430 Mr. Gord Brown, M.P., Co-Chair, Canada–United States Inter-Parliamentary Group 613-992-8756 Mrs. Miriam Burke, Association Secretary, Canada–United States Inter-Parliamentary Group 613-944-4238
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