For Immediate Release

THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST ECONOMIC REGION APPLAUDS PRESIDENT OBAMA AND PRIME MINISTER HARPER FOR THEIR BORDER AGREEMENT TO ENHANCE JOBS AND US - CANADA COMPETITIVENESS

Today's declaration by President Obama and Prime Minister Harper to strengthen trade relations between the two countries will be a boon to the regional economy, according to the Honourable Mel Knight, President of PNWER and Minister of Sustainable Resource Development for Alberta. Knight said, "I applaud Prime Minister Harper and President Obama for their work today on perimeter clearance and harmonization of regulations that will make our two countries more competitive, enhancing jobs and the overall economy of our region."

Trade between the United States and Canada is huge and growing. Total trade between the two countries was worth $676 billion in 2008 - more than one million dollars a minute.  More than 8 million U.S. jobs depend on trade with Canada.  Canada is the biggest export market for U.S. products. Moreover, Canada ranked Number 1 in 34 states as the leading export market for goods in 2008, and Number 2 in 11 others. Here in the Pacific Northwest, 363,400 jobs are directly dependent on trade with Canada in the 5 northwest states. For these reasons it is time for the President and Prime Minister to implement a perimeter clearance strategy and to work toward greater harmonization of regulations to enhance our competitiveness in global markets.

With Canada's economy in better shape than the US (Canada's unemployment remains low at 7.8% compared to the US over 9%), leaders in the Pacific Northwest  have been looking at ways to enhance our competitiveness and boost exports.  Secretary Locke's National Export Initiative has laid out the goal of doubling US exports in 5 years.  Out of all the US companies that export anywhere in the world, 60% export only to one country, and that country is Canada.  Harmonizing standards to make our goods more competitive is a great first step toward recognizing the integrated economy we share in the largest trading relationship in the world.

PNWER has been in the forefront developing solutions in the Pacific Northwest which both enhance security and increase mobility for legitimate goods and people at our border with Canada.  "The Pacific Northwest has been recognized by leaders in Washington, DC and Ottawa as the best place to test solutions to border processes for two reasons, " said Matt Morrison, Executive Director of PNWER, " 1) our border agencies on both sides worked closely and very successfully in implementing clearance and security pilots for the 2010 Olympics last winter, and 2)we share a culture of cooperation in this region as evidenced by 5 years of annual BC - WA joint Cabinet meetings that Governor Gregoire and Premier Campbell have led, and groups like PNWER and the International Mobility and Trade Corridor Project  (IMTC) which bring together public and private stakeholders to develop creative solutions to enhancing trade mobility and security at the border."

"We stand ready to assist Commissioner Alan Bersin, head of the US Customs and Border Protection, to design and implement pilots for pre-clearance, for example with the Amtrak Cascades train service that runs from Eugene, Oregon to Vancouver, BC, " Morrison said.

The Pacific NorthWest Economic Region (PNWER) based in Seattle, WA is a statutory, public-private partnership chartered by the states of Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana; and the western Canadian provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Yukon, and Northwest Territories, founded in 1991.

For Information contact:

Matt Morrison

cell: 206-399-4026

PNWER Executive Director

www.pnwer.org