As a member of the legislature's commission that deals with Maine-Canada relations, I was honored to have the opportunity to visit Quebéc in September to tour hydroelectric facilities and to meet with various officials involved in US-Canadian affairs. This is a picture of our delegation visiting with US Consul General Allison Aerias-Vogel (fourth from the left) in Quebec City. Certainly my favorite Canadian province, Quebec is a leader in land conservation and resource management, relations with its sovereign first nations, and of course it is endowed with a fabulous French culture that permeates everything.
It is a super-entrepreneurial and business-focused place, yet it celebrates this posture while proudly acknowledging the value of the Canadian health care system and the presence of excellent child care, two factors that present nothing but a drag on businesses on our side of the border. Because my colleagues on this trip all happened to come from the other party, I thought that the message could not have been heard by more important ears. I was not surprised that virtually everyone North of the border is alarmed by the protectionist rhetoric of the Trump Administration. They reminded us that while American and Canadian companies physically occupy one side of the border or the other, the supply chains in both countries rely heavily on trade. A lesson worth remembering.
It is a super-entrepreneurial and business-focused place, yet it celebrates this posture while proudly acknowledging the value of the Canadian health care system and the presence of excellent child care, two factors that present nothing but a drag on businesses on our side of the border. Because my colleagues on this trip all happened to come from the other party, I thought that the message could not have been heard by more important ears. I was not surprised that virtually everyone North of the border is alarmed by the protectionist rhetoric of the Trump Administration. They reminded us that while American and Canadian companies physically occupy one side of the border or the other, the supply chains in both countries rely heavily on trade. A lesson worth remembering.
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