Released on February 25, 1998
Premier Roy Romanow worked to bridge differences over grain trade,
transportation and proposed border restrictions during discussions
with U.S. legislators in Washington, D.C. yesterday.
"My goal is to ensure our farmers have continued fair access to this
market and that the Canadian Wheat Board is protected against any
unilateral protectionist action," Romanow said.
Romanow met with North Dakota Governor Edward Schafer, California
Congressman Robert Matsui and Montana Senator Max Baucus.
Governor Schafer has proposed a number of innovative ways to address
cross-border disputes. Congressman Matsui is one of the U.S.
Congress' leaders on trade issues, having piloted key trade
legislation through Congress for the Clinton administration.
Senator Baucus is a highly vocal critic of Canadian trade practices.
On his meeting with Governor Schafer, Premier Romanow said:
"Governor Schafer is, I believe, a friend of Saskatchewan and a very
constructive neighbour. He has proposed we explore several
potentially interesting solutions to cross-border trade irritants.
"For example, he has suggested we explore the possibility of North
Dakota grain producers marketing their products jointly with Canadian
producers. He has also proposed we explore working together to
address transportation issues. North Dakota farm producers face many
of the same challenges we face with their rail system."
Premier Romanow and Governor Schafer agreed to set up a working
group of provincial and state officials to explore these issues.
On his meeting with Congressman Matsui: "We compared notes on
American concerns about the Canadian Wheat Board. It would
appear that the Congressional General Accounting Office is
planning another study of the Board this year. We expect that
like several other GAO studies, this one will give the Wheat
Board a clean bill of health. In Congressman Matsui we have a
strong, articulate partner committed to free trade and committed
to resolving our trade disputes on the basis of the facts."
On his meeting with Senator Baucus: "Senator Baucus and I had a
very frank exchange of views on grain issues. The Senator made
it clear that his constituents believe we are unfairly
subsidizing our exports through the Wheat Board. I was equally
clear that this is not the case. We have opened a line of
communication and hopefully we'll continue a constructive
dialogue on these issues."
Premier Romanow was accompanied by Canadian Ambassador Raymond
Chretien at these meetings. Romanow and the Ambassador outlined
their concern about a provision of a recent American law that
imposes new restrictions on Canadians entering and leaving the
United States. The new provisions would require U.S. border
officials to register the names and addresses of every Canadian
entering or leaving the U.S.
"Along the Saskatchewan-U.S. border this would be an irritant,"
Romanow said. "At busy crossings elsewhere in Canada this would
result in kilometre-long line-ups and many hours of delay -
disrupting a $100 billion-plus trading relationship. The
Canadian Embassy is working hard to restore the status-quo ante
and I was glad to lend my support to the effort."
Other highlights of Premier Romanow's visit to the United States:
On Monday, Premier Romanow addressed a group of academics
and students at Harvard University in Boston. Romanow
outlined the process leading up to the Calgary Declaration
on national unity and Saskatchewan's rational for
intervening in the federal government's Supreme Court
reference on Quebec's right to secede unilaterally. The
Harvard lecture was part of a major 30 year lecture series
on Canadian issues. Romanow was the first speaker in this
year's series which will include, among others, Canadian
Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Stephan‚ Dion and Quebec
Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Jacques Brassard.
"The audience asked me some friendly but pointed questions about
how we are going to keep our country united," Romanow said.
"Seen through American eyes, our problems must sometimes appear
almost incomprehensible. But this audience certainly seemed to
understand that the situation is acquiring some urgency."
Friendly but pointed questions were also the order of the
day during a working lunch with senior officials from the
U.S. State Department, National Security Council, Department
of Agriculture and the Office of the Trade Representative,
held at the Canadian Embassy yesterday.
"These officials are obviously following events in Canada closely
and went into recent developments on the unity file in some
detail," Romanow said. "They also had grain trade issues on
their minds. They know that Canada imports over $6 billion worth
of U.S. agricultural products and they clearly don't want us to
lose sight of the many positives of our trade relationship as we
work on the perceived negatives."
This morning, Premier Romanow addressed the Canadian
Leadership Forum at the Centre for Strategic International
Studies, a leading Washington think tank on foreign policy
issues. The future of trade policy and the unity file were
on the agenda. Premier Romanow urged that future
international trade agreements take account of the need to
level up labour, social and environmental standards. He
also outlined the Saskatchewan government's views on the
Calgary Declaration and the reference case.
He then attended an inter-agency roundtable at the U.S.
State Department to continue his dialogue on grain, trade,
unity and other bilateral issues with a group of "Canada
watchers" from a number of American Departments and
agencies.
Later today Premier Romanow flies to Quebec City. He will
be speaking to a group of academics at Laval University
tomorrow morning, before returning to Saskatchewan.
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For more information, contact:
Julianne Jack
Media Services
Regina
Phone: (306)787-6349
