Canada and the United States (U.S) celebrate a historic alliance, steadfast friendship, and commitment to overcome the daunting challenges of today and realize the full potential of the relationship in the future.
The Honourable Mona Fortier, President of the Treasury Board, met with officials in Washington this week to promote advances in shared priorities, and discuss best practices in support of a variety of topics central to government administration such as digital services, greening government, as well as regulatory cooperation.
Several of the meetings featured opportunities to promote Canada's and the United States' efforts through regulatory cooperation to remove regulatory irritants, break down barriers to trade, and support innovation through regulatory cooperation.
In addition, the Minister met with officials from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) the Chief Information Security Officer, the U.S. Digital Service and the General Services Administration. This meeting afforded the opportunity to discuss shared bilateral priorities within respective mandate areas, such as digital services, regulatory policy, and expenditure management.
At the Canadian Embassy in Washington, Minister Fortier received a tour of the first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified building in Global Affairs Canada's portfolio, which was an excellent example of how the Government of Canada is greening its real property.
Minister Fortier also met with business leaders Scotty Greenwood, CEO of the Canadian American Business Council (CABC) and Sean Heather, Senior Vice President, International Regulatory Affairs & Antitrust from the United States Chamber of Commerce.
The Minister met with Brenda Mallory, Chair of the White House Council for Environmental Quality, to discuss each country's experiences with greening operations, and specific areas of cooperation and policy alignment. Issues such as the overall net zero target for government operations, green procurement, and new greening targets leading to climate resilience were key focus area.
Minister Fortier emphasized Canada's commitment to greening the Government of Canada's operations. By setting goals to reduce emissions in federal operations and leveraging purchasing power, the federal government is better able to seize opportunities to accelerate the transition to a net-zero economy.
Minister Fortier also met with Rear Admiral Paul Reed, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health to discuss different dimensions of wellbeing policy and Canada's Quality of Life Framework.
Finally, the Minister had a tour at the U.S. Government General Services Administration Workplace Innovation Lab on the "Future of Federal Work Workplace 2030."
The Minister's Washington trip resulted in productive discussions on common challenges and opportunities and provided a valuable forum to strengthen a shared understanding of regulatory, digital, and sustainability goals, among many others.
