Standing Committee on International Trade

Comité permanent du commerce international

For immediate release

Ottawa, October 6, 2017 -

As part of its study on the priorities of Canadian stakeholders having an interest in bilateral and trilateral trade among Canada, the United States and Mexico, the House of Commons Standing Committee on International Trade travelled to Columbus, Ohio and Milwaukee, Wisconsin from 27–29 September 2017.

In Columbus and Milwaukee, the Committee met with Canadian and U.S. businesses that have operations in Ohio and Wisconsin, academics, elected officials and government representatives, among others, to learn about Canada’s trade and economic relationship with these states, and how this relationship supports jobs and business activity there.

The Honourable Mark Eyking, P.C., M.P., Chair of the Committee, said: “Canada is the largest market for each of these state’s merchandise exports, and we buy more goods from Ohio than that state’s next nine largest merchandise export markets combined. Similarly, we buy more goods from Wisconsin than its next four largest merchandise export markets combined.”

“In addition, Canada is a source of investment dollars and production inputs that generate economic activity throughout the United States. Trade and investment between the countries is critical to both Canada and the United States, and supports an estimated 9 million U.S. jobs. Stakeholders from these countries – including legislators and businesses – must continue their dialogue on significant bilateral trade and investment matters, and our two countries must co operate to ensure that bilateral trade and investment can continue to grow,” Mr. Eyking concluded.

During the trip, the Committee discussed such issues as the negotiations for changes to NAFTA, environmental protection, regulatory cooperation and labour mobility, and a variety of issues relating to ongoing and future technological developments, including the opportunities and challenges they create for Canadian and U.S. businesses and workers, and how they can be addressed within trade policy. The information gained during this trip will be included in a report that will summarize the findings of the current study.