Hon. Jerahmiel S. Grafstein:

Honourable senators, the Canada-U.S. Inter-Parliamentary Group sent an all-party delegation last week to Washington to advocate actively issues affecting Canada's interests. We met with 38 governors, 15 senators, 25 congressmen, their staff and academics and specialists on Canada-U.S. matters.

We attended the annual meeting of the National Governors Association, participated in the meeting of the Pacific NorthWest Economic Region, PNWER, hosted by the Woodrow Wilson Center's Canada Institute and, finally, went to Capitol Hill. Additionally, we attended meetings hosted by the Canadian Embassy in Washington, including the Great Lakes water association.

I led one team in our lobbying efforts and Senator Johnson capably led the other. We focused on five issues: the ongoing "thickening" and delays at the border, especially as they might affect British Columbia and the Olympic Games next year; the "buy-America" protectionist provisions in the various states that will receive the bulk of infrastructure funding from the federal recovery package; arising trade irritants once again on softwood lumber; labels of origin affecting agricultural products; and finally, a sleeper, anticipatory regulatory changes affecting Canada's large hydroelectricity facilities and, of course, the tar sands.

Some of us audited governors' meetings on infrastructure, and congressional hearing committees on energy, climate change and the financial sector, which were most informative as they set out the current thinking in Washington.

The mood in Washington, honourable senators, was hectic and heated about economic issues, overshadowed by the dangerous rising question of U.S. debt, which will exceed $11 trillion and will grow to double in the years ahead, with interest costs approaching half a trillion dollars in the near future.

It was imperative to bring to the U.S. decision makers Canada's concerns. Over and over again, we brought to Washington's attention that Canada is the largest trading partner of 35 U.S. states and that Canada and the United States represent the largest trading bloc in the world, approaching half a trillion dollars a year.

We reminded decision makers of Canada's robust role in NATO and, specifically, that we were punching well above our weight in Afghanistan.

Washington is obviously absorbed in the global economic crisis. It is our job as Canadian parliamentarians to press forward on all fronts to ensure that Canada's interests are heard and respected, and do not suffer from unintended or consequential damages as America moves forward to address the historically fearsome economic issues confronting it, its people and its marketplace.

The Canada-United States Inter-Parliamentary Group will continue its activist role in the weeks and months ahead with an even greater frequency of meetings with its Washington counterparts.

I thank members of the entire all-party delegation who worked so assiduously last week in Washington to drive home Canada's vital economic interests, which are at the heart of America's interests as well.

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