NEWS RELEASE

MEMBERS OF THE CANADA-U.S. IPG ATTEND PNWER’S 27^TH ANNUAL SUMMIT

From 23–27 July 2017, Mr. David McGuinty, M.P., Vice-Chair, led a delegation from the Canadian Section of the Canada–United States Inter-Parliamentary Group (IPG) to the 27^th annual summit of the Pacific NorthWest Economic Region (PNWER), which was held in Portland, Oregon. The other delegates were Senator Pat Bovey, Senator Jane Cordy, the Honourable Candice Bergen, P.C., M.P. and the Honourable Hedy Fry, P.C., M.P.

“I know that I speak on behalf of all members of the IPG delegation in saying that we were very fortunate to attend PNWER’s 2017 annual summit. Certainly, a great many of the topics discussed at the meeting – including the shared border, bilateral trade, innovation, livestock health, infrastructure, disaster resilience, and a range of climate and resource issues, among others – are important concerns for both of our countries. They are also areas where there are opportunities for cooperation and joint action,” said Mr. McGuinty.

Mr. McGuinty concluded: “We were particularly fortunate to be able to meet with Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici, who represents Oregon’s First Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. The IPG’s Canadian Section is always interested in developing and continuing relationships with members of Congress, and the delegation had a very productive meeting with Representative Bonamici. We’re hopeful that we’ll be able to meet with her again during the Canadian Section’s next visit to Washington, D.C. in order to continue our discussion on topics of shared concern.”

PNWER, which was created in 1991, is a statutory, bi-national public-private partnership composed of 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 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.

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

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For furthur 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