NEWS RELEASE

CANADIAN PARLIAMENTARIANS ATTEND SUMMER MEETING OF U.S. GOVERNORS

From 13–15 July 2017, the Canadian Section of the Canada–United States Inter-Parliamentary Group (IPG) was represented at the annual summer meeting of the National Governors Association (NGA) by two Senators – the Honourable Art Eggleton and the Honourable Bob Runciman – and three members of the House of Commons – the Honourable Mike Lake, P.C., M.P., Ms. Salma Zahid, M.P. and Ms. Brenda Shanahan, M.P. The meeting was held in Providence, Rhode Island.

“The delegation was very pleased to continue the participation of the IPG’s Canadian Section at the NGA’s most recent meeting,” said Senator Michael L. MacDonald, Senate Co-Chair of the IPG. “I know that members of the delegation enjoyed both their time with the governors and the opportunity to hear very informative presentations on such topics as the opioid crisis, cybersecurity and the importance of technological innovation, and from such notable individuals as Tesla’s Elon Musk and Steve Ballmer, former CEO of Microsoft.”

The Honourable Wayne Easter, P.C., M.P., IPG House of Commons Co-Chair, concluded: “I agree with Senator MacDonald, and would also note our gratitude for the delegation’s private meetings with Governors Greitens, Bevin and Carney, where a range of bilateral issues were discussed. As well, the delegation was pleased to be able to hear Prime Minister Trudeau’s keynote address to the governors on the topic of collaborating to create tomorrow’s global economy. Both of our countries will surely be important contributors to that economy.”

Founded in 1908 when President Theodore Roosevelt gathered state governors in Washington to discuss the nation’s resources, the NGA is the collective voice of U.S. governors from the 50 states, three territories and two commonwealths. It is also a public policy organization that represents the governors on Capitol Hill and before the U.S. Administration on federal issues that affect them, and that develops and implements solutions to public policy challenges. More information about the NGA can be found at: www.nga.org.

It should be noted that the views expressed in this news release are specific to the IPG’s Canadian Section. As such, they may not reflect the opinions 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 IPG can be found at www.parl.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