Commerce and ISED Look to Increase Cross-Border Collaboration

Trade Update • NOVEMBER 8, 2021

Last week, Canada’s Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, François-Philippe Champagne and Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo met in Washington to discuss areas of cooperation that build on the Roadmap for a Renewed U.S.-Canada Partnership that was announced last February.

According to a joint statement, the two officials outlined “a work plan to build back better together by increasing cross-border collaboration and advancing post-COVID-19 economic recovery efforts” and said they had agreed to meet quarterly “to ensure progress on their shared priorities.”

Highlights of the work plan and bilateral actions agreed to include the following:

Cooperation on Supply Chain Security and Resiliency

• 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.

Sustainable and Inclusive Economic Recovery

• Exchange Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance 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.

International Collaboration

• Continue to work bilaterally and with other economies to promote the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation 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.