ENERGY, THE ENVIRONMENT AND THE
WHTI CONTINUE TO BE IMPORTANT ISSUES FOR CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES
From 25-26 June 2007,
Mr. Gord Brown, M.P. and the Honourable Wayne Easter, P.C., M.P., Vice-Chairs
of the Canada-United States Inter-Parliamentary Group, led a delegation of the
Group to the 31st Conference of the New England Governors and
Eastern Canadian Premiers in Prince Edward Island (delegate list attached).
“Meetings with
Governors and Premiers provide federal legislators with a critical opportunity
to identify areas where both countries as well as federal and provincial/state
governments must work together for the benefit of residents in Canada and the
United States,” said Mr. Brown.
Mr. Brown continued:
“From my perspective as a legislator who represents Canadians living along our
shared border, discussions on the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative were
particularly important. The Group has been working hard on this issue for many
months, and I was pleased that the Governors and Premiers adopted a resolution
that would delay the implementation of the land and sea portion of the
Initiative. The comments made by experts on a variety of demographic change
issues, and their implications for both countries, were also useful in helping
to identify actions that must be taken today to avoid problems in the future.”
“Having recently
attended a meeting with Governors from western states and Western Canadian
Premiers, I was particularly interested in discussions about energy and the
environment, which were important at that meeting as well. Since these issues
affect citizens in all regions of both countries, I expect that they will also
be discussed at other meetings as members of the Group continue to meet with
Governors and state legislators throughout the summer,” commented Mr. Easter.
Mr. Easter concluded:
“Also important was a presentation on the Atlantic Gateway. Having represented
Atlantic Canadians for more than a decade, I was particularly interested in
this discussion, since the Gateway will be critical for the future economic
prosperity of the provinces, states and residents in this region.”
At the
meeting, a presentation was also made on the 400th anniversary of
Québec City in 2008.
The Group’s aim is to
find points of convergence in our respective national policies, initiate
dialogue on points of divergence, encourage the exchange of information, and
promote better understanding between Canadian and American legislators on
shared issues of concern.
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For further
information:
Gord Brown, M.P.
(Leeds—Grenville, Ontario)
613-992-8756
Hon. Wayne Easter, M.P.
(Malpeque, Prince Edward Island)
613-992-2406
Daniel Charbonneau
Executive Secretary
613-944-4238
31st
Conference of the New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers