Joint Statement by President Obama and Prime Minister Harper of Canada on Regulatory Cooperation
by GSI Staff February 24, 2011
On February 4, 2011, President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Stephen Harper directed the creation of a United States-Canada Regulatory Cooperation Council (RCC), composed of senior regulatory, trade, and foreign affairs officials from both governments. In recognition of the shared $1 trillion annual trade and investment relationship, the RCC has a two-year mandate to work together to promote economic growth, job creation, and benefits to our consumers and businesses through increased regulatory transparency and coordination. The first meeting of the RCC is to be convened within 90 days by the relevant agencies in the United States and Canada.
The President and the Prime Minister have taken this initiative because they believe that their citizens deserve smarter, more effective approaches to regulation that enhance the economic competitiveness and well-being of the United States and Canada, while maintaining high standards of public health and safety and environmental protection. Improving regulatory cooperation and adopting compatible approaches will lead to greater prosperity on both sides of the border and will in no way diminish the sovereignty of either the United States or Canada or the ability of either country to carry out its regulatory functions according to its domestic and legal policy requirements.
Read the Statement from the US President's Office
Read the Statement from the Canadian Prime Minister's Office