The U.S. Department of Commerce has issued the following press release:
Today, Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo and Canada’s Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry François-Philippe Champagne met in Washington to discuss areas of cooperation that build upon the Roadmap for a Renewed U.S.-Canada Partnership.
The Secretary and Minister outlined a work plan to build back better together by increasing cross-border collaboration and advancing post-COVID-19 economic recovery efforts. Throughout the meeting, Secretary Raimondo and Minister Champagne also emphasized the importance of our steadfast partnership, our highly integrated industrial base, our shared geography and, importantly, our shared values. The Secretary and Minister agreed to meet quarterly to ensure progress on their shared priorities.
Through the work plan, the Secretary and Minister:
Acknowledged the importance of cooperation on supply chain security and resiliency and agreed to:
- Reinforce existing cooperation under the U.S.-Canada Critical Minerals Action Plan and carry out industry engagement in order to expand work to target a net-zero industrial transformation, batteries for zero-emissions vehicles, and renewable energy storage;
- Share approaches on enhancing security of the software supply chain; and
- Support increased cooperation to establish more secure and resilient supply chains for advanced telecommunications network technology, including for 5G systems and beyond.
- Explore opportunities for collaboration on emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, quantum information science and technology, next-generation telecommunications, and genome measurement;
- As it pertains to artificial intelligence, identify ways to deepen cooperation on maintaining the integrity of standards-setting bodies, information sharing, and support for the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence;
- Exchange Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance (ESG) best practices, including on issues related to sustainable finance, diversity and corporate governance, and identify areas of future cooperation incorporating private sector ESG practitioners; and
- Continue to strengthen cooperation between the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the Canadian Intellectual Property Office and consider ways to enhance patent and trademark efficiency.
- Continue to work bilaterally and with other economies to promote the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Cross-Border Privacy Rules system and how it might be expanded beyond APEC;
- Collaborate bilaterally and in relevant international fora, to advance enhanced vendor diversity, including through cooperation on open radio access networks;
- Seek to cooperate on a range of digital issues in other fora such as the G7 and G20; and
- Coordinate bilaterally on hemispheric issues in the lead-up to the North American Leaders Summit and Summit of the Americas.
