Montpelier, Vt. – This weekend, Governor Phil Scott attended the 41st Annual Conference of New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers (NEG/ECP), an inter-regional, bi-national, trans-border organization between the six New England states and the five eastern Canadian provinces.
Governor Scott served as co-chair of the three-day conference alongside Prince Edward Island Premier Wade MacLauchlan, and was joined by his Secretary of Commerce and Community Development Michael Schirling, Secretary of Natural Resources Julie Moore, and Commissioner of Public Service June Tierney. Vermont will host the 42nd Annual Conference in 2018.
The conference brings together governors and premiers from Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Québec, providing a forum to discuss areas of shared interest. Sessions at this year’s conference, which was held in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, covered the economy, trade, energy, climate change, and food innovation.
“One of the greatest benefits of this conference, and being part of this coalition, is the opportunity to build relationships, find common ground and work together to benefit our region – regardless of political party,” said Gov. Scott. “This weekend, we demonstrated our commitment to working together, including through the passage of resolutions to strengthen our collaboration in key areas, and through valuable meetings and discussions across parties and borders.”
Governor Scott and Premier MacLauchlan signed three resolutions at the conference concerning trade integration and the benefits of cross-border trade, a regional climate change action plan, and response to emergencies in a changing climate.
“Working with our neighboring states and provinces is essential to our efforts to grow our economy, as well as to protect our region from disasters and our most pressing challenges,” added Gov. Scott. “This conference provides an important opportunity to deepen these relationships, and we look forward to hosting this group in Vermont next year.”