"PNWER acts as a pathfinder for the rest of North America."

July 31, 2019

Highlights from the Pacific NorthWest Economic Region's 29th Annual Summit

Over 500 regional legislators, business leaders, academics, and policymakers gathered in Saskatoon, SK, on July 21-25. Attendees participated in 23 working group sessions, 6 keynote plenary sessions, and 6 policy tours over the course of the 5 -day Summit.

Summit Website

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*Note: Speaker Presentations and Session Summaries will be added in the coming days. Check the Summit website for the latest.

Summit Keynote Plenary Sessions

"Our relationship is stronger than the politician of the day or the politics of the day."

The first full day of the Summit opened with a panel of former U.S. and Canada Ambassadors reflecting on the U.S.-Canada relationship featuring (L-R) Canadian Ambassador Michael Kergin, U.S. Ambassador David Wilkins, U.S. Ambassador David Jacobson, and moderated by Scotty Greenwood, Canadian American Business Council.

Watch the event here.

Monday's plenary luncheon featured The Honourable Scott Moe, Premier of Saskatchewan, who spoke about SK’s focus on international trade to create jobs and opportunity, as well as the need to continue engagement between Canada and the United States at all levels.

Delegates also heard remarks from The Honourable Bob McLeod, Premier of the Northwest Territories, who spoke about the economic vision of the Northwest Territories and strengthening the role of the Arctic in Canada and North America as a whole.

Watch the event here.

“Making a decision to invest in infrastructure is not just a decision. It is a commitment to the future.”

Tuesday opened with a robust di scussion on "Building Infrastructure for the 21st Century" Moderated by Jennifer Fox, Vice President of International Trade & Canada Relations for NASCO and included (L-R):

Phil Lamarche, Director of Transportation Operations, Federated Co-operatives Limited
Rep. Gael Tarleton, Washington State Legislature
Jim Titsworth, General Director, Canadian Business Development, BNSF Railway
Vee Kachroo, Senior Vice President of Operations, Canpotex
Robin Silvester, CEO, Port of Vancouver
David Miller, Canadian National Railway Company

Panelists spoke about the challenges and needs of the region as it moves toward the future. They also elaborated on the steps and solutions that can and should be taken to ensure that our region continues to grow and be competitive in the changing global market.

Watch the event here.

"Asia is moving at a speed and scale unlike any other, and the Pacific Northwest has the resources and ingenuity to tap into this market. This is an opportunity for the U.S. and Canada to work together to access the Asian region."

Victor Thomas, Vice President of the Prairie Region for Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada, moderated Tuesday's luncheon plenary focused on "Capturing Asian Markets" featuring Murad Al-Katib, President and CEO of AGT Foods, and John Stackhouse, Senior Vice President of the Royal Bank of Canada.

"In ten years, our region will serve an agricultural consumer that is completely different than the consumer we serve today...It is about 'niche' on a large scale "- Murad Al-Katib speaking on capturing Asian markets at the PNWER Summit.

"We have to find new ways to commercialize technology which goes hand in hand with the skills revolution. We need the technologies developed here in Canada, if we are going to have the cutting edge skills to go with them."- John Stackhouse on the Diversity is a key component of economic success.

Watch the event here.

The Honourable Ralph Goodale, Canada's Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, spoke during Wednesday's plenary breakfast about the Canada-U.S. border and the value of a strong partnership between Canada and the U.S.

Minister Goodale also attended a listening session on improving the Canada-U.S. border and addressing security and disaster resilience issues.

Watch the event here.

PNWER Supports Ratification of USMCA

The importance of USMCA and trade in the region was a major theme during the Summit with many discussions during keynote plenaries, working group sessions, and the Executive Committee meeting focusing on USMCA ratification and the value of the U.S.-Canada trading relationship.

On July 22, the PNWER Executive Committee released a statement in support of the ratification of USMCA in which they respectfully urge the Congress of the United States and the Parliament of Canada ratify the agreement as soon as possible.

Read the full statement here.

PNWER Leadership

MT Senator Mike Cuffe was elected by the PNWER Delegate Council to serve as the 2019-2020 PNWER President. Cuffe has been involved with PNWER as a member of the Delegate Council since 2013 and currently serves as Co-Chair of the Border Working Group. Cuffe has previously served as Co-Chair of the Workforce Development and Forestry working groups. He was elected to serve as vice president during the PNWER Annual Summit in Big Sky, Montana in 2015.

When asked about his vision for his term as PNWER President, Senator Cuffe said, “We will approach our opportunities and challenges with a positive mindset. We are a nuts and bolts operation at PNWER that gets things done. We help develop solutions, and we make things happen. We are a diverse group with many competing interests, personalities, and political factors, but in our region, we have many common interests and can find common ground to stand on. PNWER attracts those who care about the region and who believe that our region grows better and stronger together.”

PNWER President Saskatchewan MLA Larry Doke (pictured right) introduced the new PNWER Leadership (L-R) Vice Presidents- Idaho Sen. Chuck Winder, Alberta MLA Richard Gotfried, Washington Rep. Gael Tarleton, and Northwest Territories Premier Bob McLeod and incoming President Montana Sen. Mike Cuffe.

Alan Bluechel Memorial Award

SK Premier Scott Moe presented Lyle Stewart , the MLA for Lumsden-Morse in Saskatchewan and former Minister of Agriculture, Minister responsible for Saskatchewan Crop Insurance Corporation, and Minister for Enterprise and Innovation, with the Alan Bluechel Memorial Award during the Summit. Stewart was honored with this award for his exceptional service to both Canada and the United States during his service as Saskatchewan’s first President of PNWER.

Each year, PNWER recognizes a person who has gone beyond their own interests to build trust and cooperation across the U.S.-Canada border. The award is named in honor of PNWER’s Founder, former Washington State Senator Alan Bluechel.

Hot Potato Award

Colin Smith , Past President of the Engineers and Geoscientists of BC and PNWER's Private Sector Council Co-Chair, received the Hot Potato Award during the Summit. The Hot Potato Award is given to an individual who has helped reduce tensions between Canada and the United States.

Colin Smith was instrumental in getting the Victoria, British Columbia sewage treatment plant built. This had been a source of contention for decades between BC and Washington and now has been remedied in part because of Colin's efforts. He has been instrumental in representing the private sector interests of Canada at over 40 state capital visits during his tenure. In addition, he has chaired the PNWER Finance and Audit Committee for the past 7 years.

Saskatchewan Policy Tours

Delegates at this year's Summit were invited to participate in several informative policy tours that highlighted the major industries and issues in Saskatchewan. The policy tours took delegates to Ag in Motion, the largest agricultural trade show in Western Canada; the University of Saskatchewan's Canadian Light Source and Vaccine & Infectious Disease Organization-International Vaccine Centre; Meewasin Valley Authority & Wanuskewin Heritage Park; SaskPower's Gardiner Dam; University of Saskatchewan's Livestock & Forage Centre of Excellence; Nutrien Allan Potash Mine; and SaskPower's Boundary Dam 3 & Carbon Capture Facility.

Delegates toured the University of Saskatchewan's Canadian Light Source which produced the brightest light in the country! This facility enables research in mine tailing remediation, food security, cancer research, to drug development and cutting edge-materials, like semi conductors and future battery technology.

Delegates were also given a first-hand look at the University of Saskatchewan's Vaccine & Infectious Disease Organization- International Vaccine Centre. The VIDO-InterVac is home to some of the world's most advanced vaccine research infrastructure and is dedicated to human and animal infectious disease research and vaccine development.

At the University of Saskatchewan's Livestock and Forage Centre of Excellence, delegates got a personal look at cow-calf production, beef cattle production & forage production, and grazing & pasture management. It is designed to be the largest and most comprehensive centre for work on cattle and forage in Canada!

Sen. Mike Cuffe and Victor Thomas tour SaskPower's Boundary Dam 3 and Carbon Capture Facility in Estevan, SK. Boundary Dam 3 is the world’s first carbon capture facility and remains the only facility that is fully-integrated with a coal-fired power plant.

Mark Your Calendars!

Thank you to all of our Summit Sponsors!

Check out media coverage of the PNWER Summit at our website HERE

Thank you again to our Media Partner,

Harris Greenaway!

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