WASHINGTON — Seven Canadian premiers met with a pair of key White House power brokers Friday in advance of their attendance at an influential conference of American governors.
The leaders of Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island discussed the economy and efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions with President Barack Obama’s economic czar, Larry Summers, and Lisa Jackson, head of the Environmental Protection Agency.
Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall said he and his counterparts raised concerns that Canadian manufacturers might be subject to punitive measures from the U.S. now that the EPA has warned it will start regulating carbon emissions, a simmering hotspot in Canada-U.S. relations.
“There’s an awareness of that concern and I think a general acknowledgment that this is an issue that’s going to have to be resolved by way of international agreement as opposed to unilateral action,” Wall said after the meeting with Jackson.
Quebec Premier Jean Charest urged Jackson to consider hydroelectric power as a renewable resource, said his New Brunswick colleague, Shawn Graham.
“She had her full team there,” Graham said. “We had a good opportunity to talk about our efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”
Economic recovery and trade issues, he said, were top items of discussion with Summers.
“It was insightful to hear how the U.S. economy was recovering,” he said. “We did talk about the importance of trade between our two countries, and there was a small discussion about past trade irritants, including softwood lumber. The premiers stressed the importance of open trade between our two countries -- it was a respectful dialogue.”
Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty agreed.
“I like to think that under this Administration there’s a greater level of receptivity to Canadian concerns,” he said.
The meeting with Jackson came in the midst of tough talk by the EPA that it will begin to crack down on carbon emissions in the absence of greenhouse gas legislation from Congress
That legislation is stalled after the Democrats lost their filibuster-proof majority in the Senate with the election of a Republican to the late Ted Kennedy’s Massachusetts seat.