Ottawa –  Gord Brown, Member of Parliament for Leeds-Grenville, was re-elected the House of Commons Chair on the Canada-United States Inter-Parliamentary Group for his second term on November 1.

He co-chairs the Group with Senator Janis Johnson from Manitoba.

“This is an important group that has on-going contact with congressmen and senators in Washington, as well as state governors and legislators,” explains Mr. Brown. “I am pleased that my colleagues from all parties recognized the work I and the Group have been doing over the past two years and re-elected me.”
Brown was first elected Co-Chair in March 2009.  Prior to that he was Vice-Chair for one term.

The Group holds meetings in Canada and the United States and aims to find points of convergence in respective national policies, to initiate dialogue on points of divergence, to encourage the exchange of information, and to promote better understanding among legislators on shared issues of concern.

Mr. Brown had been active with this Group since first being elected to Parliament.

“It is important that we maintain these relationships with our counterparts in the US because it remains our largest trading partner and closest ally,” notes Brown.

“We can discuss issues such as cross-border trade and the recently announced $5.50 entry fee, face-to-face with folks who might otherwise only see these issues on a piece of paper in their offices.”

Meetings take place in the US and Canada.

For example, in the past month Mr. Brown has hosted Congressman Bill Owens at a working dinner in Ottawa with Canadian members of the Group, and he spent time in Washington speaking at a Border Trade Alliance conference.

There are always issues and ideas to be discussed and this Group allows us to have these important conversations during regularly scheduled meetings, notes Brown

For more information on the Canada-United States Inter-Parliamentary Group visit www.parl.gc.ca/iia/Association.aspx?Lang=E&DCId=4&DTId=6&P=overview&ORGId=1383