The Consul General of Canada met with local lawmakers in Springfield to discuss ways to strengthen the trade relationship between them and the US, including in Massachusetts.
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – The Consul General of Canada met with local lawmakers in Springfield to discuss ways to strengthen the trade relationship between them and the US, including in Massachusetts.
Lawmakers say through open and fair trade both countries can benefit and continue to strengthen their economies. There’ll be more exchange of goods and services, creation of jobs, and innovation.
Every day, almost $4 billion in goods and services cross the border between the US and Canada. Both western and central Massachusetts alone export over $1 billion to Canada annually.
“It’s safe to say you can’t have a secure US without a secure Canada and you can’t have a secure Canada without a US,” said Canada’s Consul General in New England, Bernadette Jordan.
Canada’s Consul General in New England says 286 Canadian companies are set up in the US and established in Massachusetts. Some of the biggest goods exported from these companies are chemicals, minerals, and metals.
Last year, Canadian companies employed over 34,000 Massachusetts workers, and bilateral trade was worth more than $17 billion.
But Jordan noted they’re also looking to see US companies grow. “We help businesses in the US who want to go global and realize they only have to go to Canada in order to be able to access a different number of markets because of the trade agreements Canada has,” said Jordan.
State Lawmakers agree. “So, they can continue to grow their payroll, their employees, and their numbers, and that’s the benefit on both sides. It is really a win-win situation on both sides,” said State Representative of the 12th Hampden District, Angelo Puppolo, Jr.
State Representative of the 11th Hampden District, Bud Williams hopes to also negotiate for a program that will allow Canada to import low-cost, life-saving prescription drugs. “With the price of prescription drugs at an all-time-high, we’re always trying to find ways to save and make competition, and to give consumers the best alternative,” said Williams.
And this partnership will also address lawmakers’ goals for clean energy and climate change. “You know really focusing on wind turbines, and solar, but I think hydro is the next leap, and I think if we can get through some of the incongruencies, I think we can all work together,” expressed Puppolo.
Currently, Canada is the largest energy supplier for the state. State lawmakers and the Canada Consul General are expected to revisit these topics again at the State House in the upcoming months.
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