NEWS: Carlo Dade of the New North America Initiative speaks at Midwestern Legislative Conference

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A new initiative at the University of Calgary School of Public Policy is off to a running start.

Carlo Dade is director of International Policy where he also oversees the New North America Initiative, a multi-year initiative supported by the Government of Alberta to produce new research, thinking and connections to rethink the Canada-U.S. relationship.

Dade spoke with lawmakers from four Canadian provinces and 11 American states at the 79th annual Midwestern Legislative Conference earlier this month. The conference hosted provincial and state legislators from Canada and the American Midwest. Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario attended, along with Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin from the United States.

“This event was a great opportunity to talk about future research collaborations,” says Dade. “This is where the rubber meets the road in North American relations, where finding points of integration on day-to-day matters are important for Alberta’s immediate interests.  This was a good venue to start building awareness and testing and refining our ideas.”

Attending the Midwestern Legislative Conference was Dade’s first appearance on behalf of the New North America Initiative, signalling the start of what will be a strong focus on community engagement, with numerous events and conferences planned in the months ahead.

 

The New North America Initiative will foster entrepreneurial and forward-thinking policy development through applied research, training, and grassroots engagement. The Initiative is a strategic pivot for Alberta and a national model for proactive, sustained and localized policy innovation in North American relations. It is structured around five key activities: generating actionable research, coordinating Alberta-based stakeholders, communicating clearly and dynamically, fostering U.S.-Canada academic partnerships and training future leaders.