Minister Joly concludes successful two-day working trip to Boston and Manchester

From: Canadian Heritage

News Release

BOSTON, January 17, 2018

The United States has no better friend, ally or partner than Canada. And we are stronger when we work together to strengthen our trade relationship and create new opportunities for workers, businesses and middle-class families. This was the message delivered by the Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Canadian Heritage, over the course of her two-day trip to Boston, Massachusetts.

The working trip included a quick stop in Manchester, New Hampshire, where the Minister delivered a keynote address at the 16th edition of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Dinner Celebration, an event organized by the National Cultural Diversity Awareness Council (NCDAC). Speaking to the event’s theme, “Like a good neighbor, Canada has always been there”, Minister Joly emphasized the ties that bind our two countries: history, family, culture, shared values and commitments.

Prior to her keynote address in Manchester, Minister Joly met with New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu and U.S. Congresswoman and House Representative Ann Kuster (D-NH). In Boston, she met with Jay Ash, Massachusetts Secretary of Housing and Economic Development. In all of these meetings, the Minister touched upon the importance of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) as an engine of growth and prosperity, and highlighted the unparalleled and long-standing economic partnership between the two countries and the importance of strong bilateral and trade relations with Canada to support growth, innovation and well-paying jobs in both countries.

She also spent time with representatives of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, a vital cultural institution that welcomes more than one million visitors each year, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a learned society that brings together leaders from diverse sectors to address challenges facing the nation and the world.

The Minister concluded her trip by visiting two of Boston’s innovation ecosystems: the Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University, as well as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Media Lab. Discussions focused on challenges and opportunities faced by today’s creative industries and how to better support their success, both domestically and internationally, in our increasingly digital world.

Quotes

“The partnership between Canada and the United States has long been a model for the world. Our two countries are bound by shared values, a common history and an integrated economy that has brought unprecedented prosperity to both our countries. I look forward to enhancing and fostering that relationship as we look to the future and make progress towards shared profitability, job creation, sustainable economic development as well as vibrant cultural exchanges.”

—The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Canadian Heritage

Quick Facts

  • Canada buys more goods from the United States than China, Japan and the UK combined.

  • Canada, Mexico and the United States together account for less than seven percent of the world’s population but more than a quarter of the world’s GDP.

  • Canada and the United States share the longest secure border in the world. Nearly 400,000 people and $2.4 billion in goods and services cross the border daily.

  • In the past year, the Prime Minister, Cabinet members, parliamentary secretaries, premiers and provincial/territorial ministers, Parliamentary committees and other Parliamentarians have cumulatively undertaken over 245 visits to the U.S. and/or engagements in Canada and abroad with senior U.S. officials.

  • The North American economy has grown significantly thanks to NAFTA. Since 1994, our combined trading relationship has increased three-fold to almost US$1 trillion in value.

Associated Links

Contacts

For more information (media only), please contact:

Simon Ross
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Canadian Heritage
819-997-7788

Media Relations
Canadian Heritage
819-994-9101
1-866-569-6155
pch.media-media.pch@canada.ca

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