Released on February 5, 2020
Premier Scott Moe will lead a delegation of Canadian Premiers to the National Governors Association (NGA) Winter Meeting in Washington, D.C., from February 7 – 10 in his capacity as chair of the Council of the Federation (COF).
The COF delegation includes New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs, Québec Premier François Legault, Ontario Premier Doug Ford, and Alberta Premier Jason Kenney.
“The NGA meeting presents a significant opportunity for premiers to strengthen relationships with our sub-national counterparts in the United States,” said Moe. “Advocating for an even stronger trade relationship between Canada and the U.S. and further integrating the nature of our North American supply chains is key to increasing our economic competitiveness.”
The 2020 NGA Winter Meeting focuses on the topic of Domestic and International Innovations for Modernizing America’s Infrastructure, an initiative of NGA Chair and Governor of Maryland Larry Hogan. Premier Moe and the COF delegation will engage with U.S. Governors and NGA delegates in a plenary session focused on infrastructure where Premiers will highlight best practices in Canada’s approach to infrastructure innovation.
The COF mission to the American capital comes on the heels of the American ratification of the USMCA, a significant free-trade deal that is vital for the health of Saskatchewan’s trade and export reliant economy.
“Saskatchewan exports 55 per cent of our total exports to the United States,” Moe said. “With the American ratification of the USMCA, Saskatchewan will be thanking leaders and decision makers in the United States Administration, Senate, and Congress for the bi-partisan effort to ratify this important deal. It is crucial that we continue to gain momentum in building our relationship with our most important trading partner while we continue to push Canadian parliamentarians for the swift ratification of this deal in Canada.”
While in Washington, Premier Moe will hold meetings with a number of members of the U.S. Administration and Congress along with attending a number of bilateral meetings with U.S. Governors representing states of strategic importance to Saskatchewan.
The Premier will join Alberta Premier Kenney in a discussion at the Wilson Centre’s Canada Institute titled The Premiers’ Perspective: A Canada-U.S. Relations Outlook for the New Decade. In 2018, Saskatchewan exported $16.9 billion worth of goods to the United States, representing 55% of Saskatchewan’s total exports. In addition, Saskatchewan imported $9.9 billion worth of goods from the United States.
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For more information, contact:
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Jim Billington |