Department of Canadian Heritage of Canada : Minister Joly concludes successful two-day working trip to Boston and Manchester

BOSTON, January 17, 2018

The United States has no better friend, ally or partner than Canada. And we are stronger when we work together to strengthen our trade relationship and create new opportunities for workers, businesses and middle-class families. This was the message delivered by the Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Canadian Heritage, over the course of her two-day trip to Boston, Massachusetts.

The working trip included a quick stop in Manchester, New Hampshire, where the Minister delivered a keynote address at the 16^th edition of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Dinner Celebration, an event organized by the National Cultural Diversity Awareness Council (NCDAC). Speaking to the event's theme, 'Like a good neighbor, Canada has always been there', Minister Joly emphasized the ties that bind our two countries: history, family, culture, shared values and commitments.

Prior to her keynote address in Manchester, Minister Joly met with New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu and U.S. Congresswoman and House Representative Ann Kuster (D-NH). In Boston, she met with Jay Ash, Massachusetts Secretary of Housing and Economic Development. In all of these meetings, the Minister touched upon the importance of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) as an engine of growth and prosperity, and highlighted the unparalleled and long-standing economic partnership between the two countries and the importance of strong bilateral and trade relations with Canada to support growth, innovation and well-paying jobs in both countries.

She also spent time with representatives of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, a vital cultural institution that welcomes more than one million visitors each year, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a learned society that brings together leaders from diverse sectors to address challenges facing the nation and the world.

The Minister concluded her trip by visiting two of Boston's innovation ecosystems: the Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University, as well as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Media Lab. Discussions focused on challenges and opportunities faced by today's creative industries and how to better support their success, both domestically and internationally, in our increasingly digital world.