NEWS RELEASE

MEMBERS OF THE CANADA–U.S. IPG ATTEND PNWER’S 28TH ANNUAL SUMMIT

From 22–26 July 2018, Senator Yuen Pau Woo, Vice-Chair of the Canadian Section of the Canada–United States Inter-Parliamentary Group (IPG), led a delegation to the 28^th annual summit of the Pacific NorthWest Economic Region (PNWER), which was held in Spokane, Washington. The other delegates were Senator Jane Cordy, the Honourable Hedy Fry, P.C., M.P., Gord Johns, M.P. and Mr. Len Webber, M.P.

“Each year, PNWER’s annual summit enables members from the IPG’s Canadian Section to engage with the private sector, the public sector and a state legislator as the goal of an enhanced bilateral relationship is pursued. As is always the case, the 2018 summit enabled my colleagues and me to discuss topics where our two countries have common cause and areas in which we could work together more closely,” said Senator Woo.

Senator Woo concluded: “Many of the topics discussed at the summit – including the North American Free Trade Agreement, the Columbia River Treaty, steel and aluminum tariffs, border security, innovation, livestock health, infrastructure and disaster resilience, among others – are concerns for both of our countries. I know that I speak on behalf of the delegation in saying that the information we have gained will be useful to us in our legislative work.”

PNWER, which was created in 1991, is a statutory, bi-national public-private partnership comprising five U.S. states – Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington – and, in Canada, three provinces and two territories – Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, the Northwest Territories and Yukon. Additional information about PNWER can be found at: www.pnwer.org.

The views expressed in this news release are specific to the Canadian Section of the Canada–United States IPG. As such, they may not reflect the views of U.S. counterparts.

The Canada–United States IPG 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.

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For further information:

Hon. Michael L. MacDonald, Senator, Co-Chair
Canada–U.S. Inter-Parliamentary Group - 613-995-1866

Hon. Wayne Easter, P.C., M.P., Co-Chair
Canada–U.S. Inter-Parliamentary Group - 613-992-2406

Ms. Miriam Burke, Association Secretary
Canada–U.S. Inter-Parliamentary Group - 613-944-4238