Alberta Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) Grant Hunter, co-chair of the Canada Relations Committee, and Washington Senator Sam Hunt, member of the committee, jointly moderated the session. Both, along with Washington Representative Debra Lekanoff, co-chair of the committee, would like to recognize and thank the speakers below who shared their insights and expertise.
Honorary Consul General of Canada for Oregon, Bart Eberwein, warmly welcomed committee members and the audience by sharing a poem that illustrates the resilience of the Canada-United States relationship.
The Importance and Recovery of the Canada-U.S. Border Following the Pandemic Border Restrictions
As the director of the Border Policy Research Institute at Western Washington University, Laurie Trautman, PhD, knows the Canada-U.S. border intimately. Not only has she conducted extensive research in this region, but she also lives along the Canada – U.S. border.
The COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020 resulted in border-crossing restrictions that barred ‘non-essential’ passenger travel between the two countries. This bilateral decision was intended to minimize the spread of infection and keep people safe until more information was available about what the world was dealing with. During this time, travel fell by 90%. Because Canada is the number one export market for 34 U.S. states, with bilateral trade value of $919 billion, this shift had major economic implications, particularly in the northwest corner of Washington.
In thinking about the future, Dr. Trautman outlined three emerging challenges:
- The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), which entered into force on July 1, 2020, and replaced the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), has a 16-year sunset clause with a stipulation that it must be reviewed by the signatories every six years, which is coming up.
- Travel has not recovered to pre-pandemic levels.
- Security is a concern due to an increase in irregular migration, which is movement that takes place outside the regular norms of sending, transit, and receiving country
Why is it so crucial that this border recovers? For one, in the summer of 2026, all three countries will host the 23rd FIFA World Cup. With this honor comes both challenges and opportunities. The challenges she outlined include border congestion and an increase in illicit activity, but the opportunities include:
- Showcasing North America for the impressive region it is.
- Strengthening cross-border networks.
- Streamlining the border crossing process.
Fortress North America
Alberta MLA Shane Getson also serves as Chief Government Whip and Parliamentary Secretary for Economic Corridor Development and has been tasked with the Economic Corridors Task Force mandate that establishes corridors within Alberta, Canada and into the U.S. that will be to the economic and strategic benefit of Albertans, enabling diversified economic growth, and providing economic stability.” Economic corridors allow for predictable, responsible, and sustainable growth- something both countries can benefit from. To demonstrate how serious Alberta’s government is about this, 11 Ministries have “economic corridor” directives in their mandates. Also, the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba have signed Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) with Alberta to develop these corridors.
MLA Getson outlined nine different actions to start this. While longer-term goals, such as increased financing and insurance, may take time, efforts must be coordinated and balanced. He welcomes everyone (legislators, organizations, private sector partners) who would like to join his efforts to reach out to him.
Idaho’s and Alberta’s Efforts to Eradicate Aquatic Invasive Species
Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) is a top concern for MLA Hunter, so much so that he presented a resolution to cooperate in preventing their spread. The CSG West Executive Committee approved the resolution with friendly amendments, which can be found on the CSG West website here. AIS is also a top concern for Nic Zurfluh, Bureau Chief in Idaho, and Nicole Kimmel, Specialist in Alberta, respectively; they work together to prevent, detect, and eradicate their top threat- Quagga and Zebra Mussels.
Nic shared Idaho’s Rapid Response Plan, which is put in place as soon as the detection of these threats is verified. The steps of the plan include:
- Notifying impacted entities.
- Implementing containment measures.
- Conducting delimiting surveys.
- Exploring treatment options (interestingly, copper is part of the treatment plan to eradicate the mollusks.)
Nicole outlined the policy and legislation adopted in 2015, including mandatory Alberta inspection stations. In 2018, the Alberta government enforced penalties for bypassing an inspection station or failing to “pull the plug” on watercraft. Penalties have increased exponentially this year. Beyond Quagga and Zebra Mussels, Alberta has also encountered flowering rush, Prussian Carp, and tossed-away domestic goldfish from storm ponds.
Just as CSG West was wrapping up the 77th Annual Meeting in Portland, news broke that zebra mussel larvae, a veliger, was discovered in the Colorado River, east of Grand Junction, Colorado. This is alarming as the river provides drinking water, power, and irrigation for 40 million people (about twice the population of New York) from the headwaters in northern Colorado down into Mexico. Other places, like Lake Powell on the Arizona-Utah border, have been infested with invasive mussels since 2012–to avoid that same situation in the Colorado River, cooperation is essential.