NEWS RELEASE

CANADIAN LEGISLATORS MEET WITH MEMBERS OF THE U.S. CONGRESS

From 14–16 September 2017, the Co-Chairs of the Canadian Section of the Canada–United States Inter-Parliamentary Group – Senator Michael L. MacDonald and the Honourable Wayne Easter, P.C., M.P. – led a delegation to a meeting with members of the U.S. House of Representatives in Windsor, Ontario. The other members of the Canadian delegation were Senator Frances Lankin, P.C., the Honourable John McKay, P.C., M.P., Mr. Ziad Aboultaif, M.P., Mr. Fayçal El-Khoury, M.P., Mr. Brian Masse, M.P., Vice-Chair, Ms. Tracey Ramsey, M.P. and Mr. Brad Trost, M.P., Vice-Chair.

The U.S. delegation was led by Representative Bill Huizenga, and included Representative Jeff Duncan and Representative Gregory Meeks. Representative Marcy Kaptur, Representative Brenda Lawrence and Representative John Moolenaar also attended activities during the meeting.

“It is always a pleasure to meet with U.S. federal legislators to discuss issues that are important to both Canada and the United States,” said Mr. Easter. “In addition to the Canadian Section’s annual meetings on Capitol Hill where we meet with dozens of U.S. Senators and Representatives over the course of two days, more intensive meetings with a smaller number of members of the U.S. Congress enable in-depth conversations about areas where our opinions diverge, and about how we can work together more closely for our joint benefit.”

Representative Huizenga continued: "Certainly, I agree with my Canadian colleagues regarding the importance of our meetings with each other, whether they occur in Washington, Ottawa or another location within one of our countries. The United States and Canada are more than just neighbors, we are great friends and close allies. We build things together, we fight shoulder to shoulder, and we come to each other’s aid whenever assistance is required.”

“In supporting the views of both of my colleagues, I would add that our discussions of trade, energy and Great Lakes issues at this meeting provided us with important opportunities to share information about our respective national policies, promote better understanding of shared issues of concern, and identify areas for collaborative action. The time that we spent with trade and Great Lakes stakeholders, and in meeting with Shiprider personnel, were also valuable. Meetings such as these are instrumental in helping the Inter-Parliamentary Group achieve its goals,” concluded Senator MacDonald.

Additional information on the IPG’s Canadian Section 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