TORONTO – Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne has announced she will head up a new committee on Ontario-U.S. economic and trade relations, as the province braces for possible protectionism south of the border.
After meeting today with Canada’s ambassador to the United States, Wynne also announced that she will be travelling to the U.S. next month to meet with business and political leaders.
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Amid U.S. President Donald Trump‘s protectionist policies, Ontario has started a major push to remind the U.S. of the province’s importance to them on trade, arming cabinet ministers with a sheet of talking points.
The notes include that Ontario is the top export destination of 20 states and more than US$800 million in goods are traded between the two jurisdictions each day.
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Other members of the new Ontario committee include the province’s representative in Washington, D.C., the international trade minister, the economic development minister, the agriculture minister, Wynne’s chief of staff, and the secretary of the cabinet.
The committee is set to sit at least monthly between now and September, “or more frequently as necessary.”