The three-day long meeting brought together governors from seven western states, Hawaii and the North Mariana Islands to discuss a diverse slate of issues ranging from the challenges of cybersecurity on power grids to the economic force created by the explosive growth of microbreweries across the West.
But the first roundtable of the session focused on the longstanding, and sometimes contentious, relationship between the neighbors intertwined by a common history, trade, culture and national security.
“The importance of our relationship with Canada cannot be overstated,” said Montana Gov. Steve Bullock. “Trade with Canada totals $662 billion. We are each other’s largest export markets. There are many nations many consider friends, but I dare say that no bilateral relationship is more important than the relationship we share with Canada.”
The discussion was led by Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall and Canadian Ambassador to the U.S. David MacNaughton.
The issues ranged from the need to tweak the North American Free Trade Agreement, the challenges of finding common ground on the softwood issue and the potential for the two countries to work together to develop clean coal applications that could open new economic doors in energy-starved countries like India.
Both of the Canadians said it’s important that those who understand the value of the relationship between the two countries spread the word to citizens and other stakeholders and not allow heated rhetoric to drive the discussion.
The challenge to NAFTA is a prime example. President Donald Trump has called NAFTA the “worst” trade deal in history and has threatened to back out of it.
