Brison, Leslie wrap up successful visit to Washington

/EINPresswire.com/ -- OTTAWA, ONTARAIO--(Marketwired - Feb 25, 2017) - Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat

The economic relationship between Canada and the United States is among the most successful in the world, supporting millions of middle-class jobs on both sides of the border.

The Honourable Scott Brison, President of the Treasury Board, and the Honourable Andrew Leslie, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs (Canada-U.S. Relations), have concluded a two-day visit to Washington where they promoted strong relations and trade in meetings with officials and state governors, as well as members of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

This visit followed Prime Minister Trudeau's and President Trump's meeting in mid-February where both leaders committed to "continue our dialogue on regulatory issues and pursue shared regulatory outcomes that are business-friendly, reduce costs, and increase economic efficiency without compromising health, safety, and environmental standards."

Minister Brison met with Mick Mulvaney, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, to discuss regulatory cooperation and share the lessons Canada has learned from its legislated regulatory system, the one-for-one rule. They underlined the importance of their bilateral economic relationship for strengthening middle-class growth. They agreed that coordinating regulations can play a key role in reducing regulatory burden on business and reducing costs for consumers.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce held an event where Minister Brison reinforced Canada's commitment to growing the middle class on both sides of the border, including through ongoing regulatory cooperation. Business representatives from a range of sectors stressed the importance of regulatory efficiency. Further, the National Governors Association Winter Meeting provided an important platform to engage key U.S stakeholders and strengthen the ties that bind both countries.

Canada is the top trading partner for most U.S. States, and more than $2.5 billion in two-way trade flows across our shared border every day. Millions of American and Canadian middle-class jobs depend on our partnership.

Quotes

"I had a very engaging first meeting with Mr. Mulvaney, and plan to meet with him again soon to continue our work on regulatory cooperation. I was very encouraged with the discussions with state governors and U.S. business representatives on matters such as energy, security, regulatory cooperation and environmental issues. We are looking forward to deepening our cooperation to ensure our successful economic relationship, supporting millions of middle-class jobs on both sides of the border."

- The Honourable Scott Brison, President of the Treasury Board

"Meeting states' governors offered a great opportunity to pursue the expansion of our relationship with the United States, our friend, ally and neighbour. We are looking forward to building on this rich history of collaboration between our two countries to create an environment conducive to the expansion of the millions of good middle-class jobs."

- The Honourable Andrew Leslie, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs (Canada-U.S. Relations)

Quick Facts

• In 2015, bilateral trade reached CAD$885 billion, representing almost CAD$2.5 billion worth of goods and services crossing the border every day.

• Canada is the largest single export market for the U.S. In 2015, Canada imported CAD$423 billion in goods and services from the U.S.

• Canada buys more from the United States than any other nation, including all members of the European Union combined.

• Nearly nine million U.S. jobs depend on trade and investment with Canada.

• Since 2011, the Canada-U.S. Regulatory Cooperation Council has worked to align independent regulatory systems and remove unnecessary and duplicative requirements and costs between the U.S. and Canada. The Council currently involves 16 Canadian and U.S. departments with health, safety, and environmental protection mandates, largely as they affect production, manufacturing, and bringing goods to market.

• The National Governors Association is the bipartisan organization of governors from the United States. Through this association, governors share best practices, speak with a collective voice on national policy and develop innovative solutions that improve state government and support the principles of federalism. Its members include the governors of the states, territories and commonwealths of the U.S.

Associated Links

- Canada-U.S. relations

- Canada and the United States

- Canadian Trade Commissioner Service - U.S.A.

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