April 17, 2015
Ottawa, Ontario

Introduction

Prime Minister Stephen Harper today announced that His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General of Canada, will travel to Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota, Chicago, Illinois, and Detroit, Michigan, in the United States (U.S.) from April 26 to 30, 2015.

During his first official visit to the Midwestern U.S. and Great Lakes regions, the Governor General will meet with business, education and political leaders, including Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton and Michigan Governor Rick Snyder.

He will also deliver the keynote address to the Council of the Great Lakes Economic Forum, on April 28, 2015.

The Governor General’s visit will underscore the very deep relations between Canada and the Midwestern U.S. and Great Lakes regions, including institutions and organizations, and highlight the advantages of enhanced partnerships and cooperation.

In addition, His Excellency’s visit will serve to promote Canada’s education excellence and its leadership in innovation and research – including in science and technology – and our ongoing support for trade and investment, border security and regulatory cooperation will also be highlighted.

Quick Facts

• Canada and Minnesota have a strong, multi-faceted relationship. On the economic front, merchandise trade between Canada and Minnesota exceeds $19 billion. On its own, the state would rank fourth globally among all of Canada’s country export markets. Energy and agriculture are an important part of bilateral trade and there are further opportunities for enhanced cooperation in research, education and innovation.
• The Chicago metropolitan area is important to the Canadian economy, with Illinois-Canada bilateral trade valued at $67.1 billion. Just over 30 per cent of the metropolitan area’s international trade is with Canada, and Illinois is Canada’s third most important export destination globally.
• The state of Michigan is a key economic partner for Canada, with two-way trade estimated at $74.2 billion. An estimated 30 per cent of all Canada-U.S. merchandise trade, or approximately $190 billion, transits thru the Detroit-Windsor corridor. Construction will begin shortly on the new Detroit River International Crossing in this corridor.
• His Excellency’s visit to the U.S. will be his fourth in his capacity as Governor General of Canada. In April 2014, he visited the U.S. West Coast to meet with government representatives, business leaders, researchers and innovators with a view to strengthening bilateral relations, including commercial, educational and philanthropic ties. In May 2013, he conducted a working visit to Boston, Massachusetts, and New York City, New York, to meet with representatives from the business, financial and innovation sectors in order to further strengthen the Canada-U.S. bilateral relationship. He also visited Canadian Armed Forces members operating in Hawaii and the Pacific Ocean during the Rim of the Pacific exercise in July 2012.
• Canada and the U.S. are the world's largest trading partners with $869.6 billion in goods and services traded in 2014. This means that nearly $2.4 billion worth of goods and services crosses the Canada-U.S. border every single day, or $1.7 million every minute.

Source: The Prime Minister's Office- Communications