OTTAWA – Ron Cannan, Member of Parliament was elected Vice Chair of the Canada-United States Inter-Parliamentary Group at the Group’s Annual General meeting held March 11, 2009.

“I am honoured to have received the support of my parliamentary colleagues and look forward to working with them to promote Canada’s interests in the United States,” he said.

Cannan noted that the opportunities that exist between Canada and the United States are many and that promoting cooperation between the two countries can only help the constituents and the many small businesses and industries that rely on trade. .

“Trade and tourism with our US neighbours create many Okanagan jobs and the quick movement of people and goods across our borders is vital not only for the future economic health of the Okanagan but the entire country.  I look forward to working with my counterparts in the US to ensure this relationship remains effective and beneficial,” said Cannan.
 
Mr. Cannan has been a member of the Standing Committee on International Trade since 2006 and has been involved in a number of activities which promote cooperation between Canadian and US economic organizations such as the Pacific Northwest Economic Regional Summit (PNWER) which Mr. Cannan attended last year in Vancouver.

Canada's international parliamentary relations are carried out in part through parliamentary associations and interparliamentary groups and promote the country's interests abroad on a continuing basis.  They operate on multilateral and bilateral levels and are composed of members of the Senate and of the House of Commons. Their sole source of revenue is the membership fees they receive from individual parliamentarians.

Established in 1959, the Canada-United States Inter-Parliamentary Group aims to find points of convergence in Canada’s and the United States’ respective national policies, initiate dialogue on points of divergence, encourage exchanges of information, and promote better understanding between Canadian and American parliamentarians on shared issues of concern.