Stowe, Vt. – Vermont Governor, Mr. Phillip B. Scott, and Québec Premier, Mr. Philippe Couillard, signed a Joint Declaration Sunday, aiming to strengthen their long-standing cooperative ties in a variety of sectors to foster economic growth and job creation.
This Joint Declaration builds upon the Cooperative Agreement between the governments of Québec and Vermont. The Joint Declaration affirms the two leaders’ commitment to deploy joint efforts in the areas of:
Economic growth, specifically in the sectors of aerospace and advanced manufacturing; Development of a skilled workforce; Student mobility; Innovation; and Energy transition.
The Joint Declaration also establishes promising new collaboration in the area of transportation electrification.
The Premier and Governor agreed to continue, and work together to enhance, collaborative efforts regarding climate change, while promoting sustainable economic development. Further, they’ll increase collaboration in efforts to protect shared waterways.
Vermont Governor Scott Quote:
“The people of Québec and Vermont share strong cultural and economic ties. Regardless of which political party is in power, or who serves as leader, Québec and Vermont are bound by our deep connections and commitment to one another. Premier Couillard and I are fortunate to be the current stewards of this centuries-old partnership and we have the honor of enhancing the collaborative work each government is doing to significantly strengthen the economy of both Québec and Vermont.”
Québec Premier Couillard Quote:
“By signing this declaration, our Government wishes to accelerate the development of our cross-border economic relations with our neighbor and long-standing partner. We want to alleviate the negative effects of the uncertainty caused by the current economic context for Québec workers and entrepreneurs. Governor Scott and I are determined to do everything in our power to maintain open markets and jobs for our families and our workers. Any dislocation of our shared economic space would result in job losses on the both sides of the border. The job of the Québec Government is to insure our economic growth and this is inevitably accomplished by the diversification of our networks and expansion of our economic relations. We are doing all we can to remain competitive in a mutating world market.”
Québec and Vermont exchanges:
- In 2017, bilateral exchanges between Québec and Vermont represented 2.2 B USD[1];
- Quebec is Vermont’s largest international trading partner; and Vermont is Québec’s 2nd largest economic partner in New England, 11th in the U.S.;
- A 75-charging station electric corridor links Montréal (Québec) and Norwich (Vermont);
- In 2016, 354,700 Vermont tourists traveled to Québec, spending 54.8 million USD; and
- Almost 1.5 million Québec tourists traveled to Vermont in 2016, spending 140.5 million USD.
Interesting facts:
- Vermont Governor Phil Scott is the host of the 42nd Conference of New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers;
- Vermont Governor Scott has made three missions to Québec in 19 months as governor. He participated in the Aeromart Montreal trade show last April and met with Québec business leaders;
- This is Premier Couillard’s second visit to Vermont. He last came to Burlington in 2015 for the cross-border conference “Power form the North” and the signature of the MOU relating to the management of Lake Champlain;
- The last meeting between Governor Scott and Premier Couillard was held in Washington in February 2018 at the winter meeting of the National Governors Association; and
- The North American free trade zone is the largest economic region in the world representing 21 billion USD and an estimated 480 million consumers.
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[1] Source: Institut de la statistique du Québec