CUSLI Conference 2013 -Great Lakes Region - Panel 1: Economic Tranformation and Bi-National Cooperation

The 2013 Conference is underway.  Right now focus is on the launch of the Council of the Great Lakes Region (CGLR).

CGLIR is being launched.  And a panel of six distinguished experts in different areas of the Canada - US relationship are chatting about the importance of Canada-US organizations coming together to map out strategies to maximize the Great Lakes economic potential.

David Crane's 3 Challenges for the Great Lakes Region, and Where CGLR Must Make a Difference to Be Relevant

David Crane, of the Toronto Star, in typical fashion got to the heart of the matter.  For CGLIR to succeed it most identify and then help bring together problem solvers to tackling economic challenges in the region.

He mapped out three such challenges:


 

Harnessing the low carbon market.  Crane emphasized the economic potential for turning the U.S. into a gas and oil-powered nation.  And he noted that hydro power, once considered a disappointment, merits new attention

Advanced Manufacturing.  Harness the tools from advanced manufacturing and bring together educational and business opportunities to keep building the next generation of advanced manufacturing.  One example -3D printing, which the Obama White House has put its chips on Cleveland to lead the way

Water Touches Everything, and the Great Lakes Region Has It.  Water is critical to every industrial process, think fracking, and we have to handle the water in a "sound way"

Goodyear:  Canadian Government Committed to Revitalizing the Great Lakes Economic Region and Compete it a Leader in the Global Economy

Hon. Gary Goodyear, Minister of State for Science and Technology and Minster of State for Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario, highlighted the successes of the Canadian government in leverage private resources to navigate the challenges of the recent global economic slow-down.  You should check out FEDDEV online.

Dawson:  The Canada-US economic relationship is falling behind, and we need the Great Lakes Region to Become More Economically Competitive with Other Nations

Then Laura Dawson,  of Dawson Strategic, both us to the real-world money drainers that still 

plague the Canada U.S. relationship.  She emphasized that the North American market place is dying "from a thousand cuts," and that we're losing our lunch to other economic competitors.

One example:  Different work-boot regulations in the U.S. and Canada.  

Another example:  And it takes 18 pages of paper to export a cow from Canada to the United States. 

The result: "driving down competitiveness" of our region.

She then emphasized that a regional approach can really take the lead in jump starting the Great Lakes Region.  Noting PNWER, Dawson highlighted its success in using enhanced licenses and not passports for people to cross the border, and provinces and states agreeing to align rail inspection strategies.  The result: better movement of goods and services, and not from DC--but from a advocacy organization working with individual states and provinces.

She then concluded to "take a leaf from the PNWER" group to figure out proposals for businesses and individuals to find new ideas and then go to governments to push economic integration and growth between Canada and the United States.

Kathryn Byrk Friedman:  Great Lakes Region - Canada and the United State's "Governance Mechanisms Have Not Kept Up with Reality."

Professor Friedman, Director of Cross-Border and International Research at the UB Regional Institute

Professor Friedman presented an amazing overview of the Great Lakes economic relationship.

I will include her powerpoint shortly.

But, in terms of collaboration, she highlighted the key challenge: Canada and America's "governance mechanisms have not kept up with reality.'

Also, she highlighted an interesting aspect of the Canada-U.S. relationship.  Most of the moving and shaking in this relationship comes at the sub-national relationship.

Now this makes groups like CGLIR critically important.  Because it is only leveling these sub-national actors, and then mobilizing them effectively to make the local, state-provincial, and national level changes need to propel economic integration.

This makes Canada-U.S. relationship interesting, but also very challenging: getting national attention, especially at a time with the U.S. national agenda is crammed.

CGLIR can fill this gap, and ensure that Canada and the United States work together to make their economies able to compete in the global marketplace and continue to deliver the per capita income that make its citizens modern lives possible.

John Austin, Director of Michigan Economic Center:

In his work collaborating with other Great Lakes leaders, he emphasized the need to understand the Great Lakes economic engine -- its roots and its challenges in recent years.  And he shared his experience that in doing this on the U.S. side for Brookings, noted previous absence of Canada's vital role in the Great Lakes region, which the Brookings Great Lakes Initiative then released.

But more work needs to be done.  While forum exists, we need experts to collaborate and focus on issues and delivering solutions to economic barriers.  One example: transportation.  Austin thanked Canada for its role in getting a new bridge crossing in Detroit.

But we need to leverage our relationship to address other economic issues.  CGLR could solve both nations energy challenges, advanced manufacturing, and leading the way in meeting the world's food needs.