SJR 9: Recognizing and honoring the relationship between Canada and Alaska; and recognizing the importance of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement negotiated by President Donald J. Trump in October of 2018.
00 SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 9 01 Recognizing and honoring the relationship between Canada and Alaska; and 02 recognizing the importance of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement negotiated 03 by President Donald J. Trump in October of 2018. 04 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 05 WHEREAS both Canada and Alaska are blessed with extraordinary natural 06 environments, valuable natural resources, and shared cultures that stretch back millennia; and 07 WHEREAS Canada and Alaska have worked together to create jobs through 08 integrated economies, to protect our shared environment, airspace, and border, and to defend 09 North America from threats; and 10 WHEREAS the citizens of Canada and the citizens of Alaska have developed deep 11 friendships, family ties, and collaborative relationships over the course of history; and 12 WHEREAS the United States and Canada have developed one of the most successful 13 international relationships in the modern world, sharing a vibrant history of democratic 14 governance, military and economic partnerships, and cultural ties; and 15 WHEREAS the United States and Canada have been close allies, serving on
01 battlefields alongside one another in World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the 02 Vietnam War, the Gulf War, the Kosovo War, and the War on Terror, including the Global 03 Coalition against Daesh; and 04 WHEREAS the United States and Canada have been partners in the Permanent Joint 05 Board on Defense since 1940, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization since 1949, and the 06 North American Aerospace Defense Command since 1958, with Alaska's North American 07 Aerospace Defense Command region proudly commanded out of Joint Base Elmendorf- 08 Richardson by an American Commander and a Canadian Deputy Commander; and 09 WHEREAS Canada has provided aid to the United States in times of need, including 10 the Iran hostage crisis, the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, 11 Hurricane Katrina, wildfires in Alaska and across the United States, and other disasters; and 12 WHEREAS the United States and Canada share the world's longest border at 5,511 13 miles, 1,538 miles of which are along Alaska's eastern frontier with the Yukon Territory and 14 the Province of British Columbia; and 15 WHEREAS Canada and Alaska strive to advance the goal of sustaining healthy and 16 resilient Arctic and northern peoples and communities by strengthening economic, cultural, 17 and family connections across the region; and 18 WHEREAS both Canada and the United States benefit from the efficient and secure 19 movement of people and goods between countries, including as partners in vibrant regional 20 cruise industries, fishing industries, resource extraction industries, agricultural industries, 21 energy industries, and medical industries; and 22 WHEREAS the United States is Canada's premier partner in the Arctic, and 23 cooperation between Canada and Alaska is longstanding, including on economic 24 opportunities, health, education, energy, security, environmental protection, infrastructure, 25 and public safety issues; and 26 WHEREAS Alaska annually exports $596,000,000 in goods to Canada, including 27 $438,000,000 in ore and fuel oil; and 28 WHEREAS Alaska annually imports $753,000,000 from Canada, including 29 $370,000,000 in ore and fuel oil; and 30 WHEREAS the United States and Canada have the largest and most comprehensive 31 and balanced trade relationship in the world, totaling $1,000,000,000,000 annually,
01 representing 13.3 percent of total United States trade, with $2,500,000,000 worth of goods 02 and services crossing the United States and Canada border every day; and 03 WHEREAS the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement negotiated by President 04 Donald J. Trump in 2018 provides the framework for much of this bilateral trade, has 05 provided important updates to the North American Free Trade Agreement, and continues to 06 grow both economies; and 07 WHEREAS more than 20,300 jobs in Alaska rely on trade and investment with 08 Canada, and more than 47 Canadian-owned companies operate in Alaska and employ 4,350 09 residents throughout the state; and 10 WHEREAS Canada and Alaska share diverse transportation links by road and by sea, 11 including the Alaska-Canada Highway, constructed during World War II to benefit our shared 12 defense, the Alaska Marine Highway system, which runs from Bellingham, Washington to 13 Alaska through Canadian water and has a terminal at Prince Rupert, and the uniquely 14 interdependent communities of Stewart, British Columbia, and Hyder, Alaska; and 15 WHEREAS the imposition of tariffs or other restrictive trade measures threatens this 16 unique, mutually beneficial relationship and could harm the economies of both Alaska and 17 Canada, jeopardizing jobs, businesses, and longstanding partnerships; 18 BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature recognizes the vibrancy and 19 importance of the Alaska-Canada relationship as the world increasingly recognizes the 20 strategic, economic, environmental, and cultural importance of the Arctic; and be it 21 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature believes that Canada and 22 Alaska must continue to work together to make our citizens' lives better, safer, more 23 prosperous, and more affordable; and be it 24 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature recognizes the importance 25 of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement negotiated by President Donald J. Trump in 26 2018 and recognizes the economic and trade relationships between our nation and Canada and 27 Alaska and Canada; and be it 28 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature opposes any restrictive 29 trade measures that would harm the unique relationship between Canada and Alaska or 30 negatively affect our integrated economies; and be it 31 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature honors Alaska's alliance
01 with Canada and looks forward to many more years of cooperation, friendship, trade, tourism, 02 cultural exchange, and good will. 03 COPIES of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable Donald J. Trump, President 04 of the United States; the Right Honourable Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada; the 05 Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada; the Honourable Mary Ng, 06 Minister of Export Promotion, International Trade and Economic Development, of Canada; 07 the Honourable Bill Blair, Minister of National Defence of Canada; the Honorable Marco 08 Rubio, United States Secretary of State; the Honorable Pete Hegseth, United States Secretary 09 of Defense; General Gregory M. Guillot, Commander, North American Aerospace Defense 10 Command and United States Northern Command; Lieutenant General Blaise F. Frawley, 11 Deputy Commander, North American Aerospace Defense Command; Craig Weichel, Consul 12 General of Canada in Seattle, Washington; and the Honorable Lisa Murkowski and the 13 Honorable Dan Sullivan, U.S. Senators, and the Honorable Nicholas Begich, U.S. 14 Representative, members of the Alaska delegation in Congress.