No. GC003/06
For release March 31, 2006
VANCOUVER — The Honourable David Emerson, Minister of International Trade
and Minister for the Pacific Gateway and the Vancouver-Whistler Olympics, met
today in Vancouver with representatives of the Greater Vancouver Gateway
Council.
Minister Emerson joined council members for a two-hour working session,
following a comprehensive tour of the lower mainland component of the Pacific
Gateway Region, as part of the federal government's commitment to ongoing
consultation with key private-sector and government stakeholders in the West.
"In an era of seamless global supply chains, our success in international
commerce depends more than ever on efficient transportation systems and trade
promotion strategies that build on our advantages in geography and
transportation," Minister Emerson said. "I am committed to moving forward with the
federal government's Pacific Gateway Initiative as we continue meaningful
discussions like today's."
"We are making progress by working with British Columbia and other Western
provinces, with the private sector and with regional and municipal levels of
government to strengthen Canada's growing capacity for global competitiveness,"
the Minister added.
Captain Gordon Houston, President and CEO of the Vancouver Port Authority and
chair of the gateway council, welcomed active and ongoing dialogue with the
Minister on the Pacific Gateway Initiative.
"Our challenge as the Pacific Gateway region — and as a country —
is to focus on issues of improved efficiency of the whole transportation system,
new infrastructure projects and closely related security, trade, investment and
environmental issues," Capt. Houston said. "We are encouraged, through our
discussions today with the Minister, by his commitment to this file and by the
importance his government attaches to helping us meet those challenges."
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Contacts:
Bob Klager
Director of Communications
Office of the Honourable
David Emerson
Minister of International Trade and
Minister for the Pacific Gateway and
the Vancouver-Whistler Olympics
(613) 996-8605
Cathy Cossaboom
Communications
Transport Canada, Ottawa
(613) 993-0055
Transport Canada is online at www.tc.gc.ca.
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