NEWS RELEASE

Canadian Section of Canada-Unites-States Interparliamentary Group attends meeting with U.S. State Legislators

From 8–11 December 2016, the Honourable Wayne Easter, P.C., M.P., House Co-Chair of the Canadian Section of the Canada–United States Inter-Parliamentary Group, and Senator Michael L. MacDonald, the Canadian Section’s Acting Senate Co-Chair, led a delegation to the annual national conference of the Council of State Governments (CSG) in Williamsburg, Virginia. Mr. Kerry Diotte, M.P. also attended the conference.

“It was wonderful to be at the CSG’s annual conference, and to attend many interesting presentations,” said Mr. Easter. “Among the most informative, and I believe among the most important from a Canadian perspective, were those that discussed ‘the triple helix’ – the idea that governments, educational institutions and the private sector should work together to create jobs – and data-driven decision making. Of course, I also gathered useful information about the importance of the knowledge economy in bringing about economic development that will inform my legislative work in Canada.”

Senator MacDonald concluded: “I support the comments of my colleague, Mr. Easter, and would add that a number of other sessions were also relevant for Canada. I am thinking, for example, of the presentation on autonomous vehicles, which will be part of a forthcoming study by the Senate Transport Committee, and the discussion of the future of trade agreements. Certainly, Canada is a trading nation, so it is important to gather information in the United States – Canada’s most important merchandise and services trade, as well as foreign direct investment, partner – about trade issues.”

The CSG serves all three branches of state government and provides regional fora – the western, midwestern, southern and eastern regional conferences – through which ideas and insights are exchanged with a view to shaping public policy. Additional information on the CSG can be found at www.csg.org.

The views expressed in this news release are specific to the Canadian Section of the Canada–United States Inter-Parliamentary Group. As such, they may not reflect the views of United States 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.

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For further information:

Hon. Michael L. MacDonald, Senator, Acting 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