REGINA, Sask. — While trade tensions have been heating up between Canada and the United States, a number of Saskatchewan legislators were looking to bring the temperature down at the meeting of the Midwest Legislative Conference in Minnesota.
The conference was hosted in St. Paul, Minnesota’s capital, by the Council of State Governments. The event attracted state legislators from 11 Midwestern states and provincial MLAs from a number of provinces, including Saskatchewan.
There were a half-dozen Sask. Party MLAs there, including Agriculture Minister David Marit and Speaker Todd Goudy, as well as Barret Kropf, Colleen Young and Daryl Harrison. Also, three NDP MLAs went down to St. Paul for the conference, which wrapped up Sept. 2.
Also back from the conference is Minister of Rural and Remote Health Lori Carr, who had previously served as chair of the Midwest Legislative Conference when it was held last year in Saskatoon.
Speaking to reporters Thursday in Regina, Carr said there were some positive interactions with American lawmakers at this year’s event.
“We had some great conversations, still developing those relationships with U.S. representatives and senators, and just having that common theme in what do we have in common and what can we work on together. And it was really encouraging to see that they are willing to work with us just as much as we are willing to work with them.”
She said the whole purpose of the conference is “to build those relationships and to have those strong connections. And so as we talk about trade, we both agree that we rely on each other going both ways across the border and we still believe that.”
The general feeling there, she said, was “how can we work with each other? What products do we have in common? What do I have that you need? What do you have that I need? And so it's very collegial and just positive.”
Even with the heightened rhetoric toward Canada coming from U.S. President Donald Trump, Carr said the atmosphere at the conference “wasn't at all tense.”
“What it was was collegial and cooperative working together to see how we can continue to work together. Obviously, we're their largest trading partner and we will continue to be that into the future. And we know that on both sides of the border.”
While trade is certainly on the minds of Canadians, it wasn’t the only topic discussed.
Carr said they “talked about education, energy and resources, health. All of these things are in common on both sides of the border, just trying to learn what each country is doing and how can we do better or pick up ideas. And that's what we did.”
