PLATTSBURGH — The power and influence of the U.S.-Canadian relationship was on full display in Plattsburgh last week.
On March 19, the North Country Chamber of Commerce’s subsidiary, The North American Center of Excellence for Transportation Equipment (NAmTrans), once again hosted its Québec-New York Transportation Rendezvous & B2B event at the West Side Ballroom.
The event, which was last held in 2022, brought together hundreds of Canadian and American manufacturers and companies for a full day of networking activities.
“We ended up with 219 registrants not only from New York and Quebec but from across the U.S. and Canada with a few representatives of international companies,” Chamber President Garry Douglas said.
“And there were 200 on-site B2B sessions. It stands as one of North America’s top transportation equipment gatherings of 2024 and is a real testament to Plattsburgh’s place as an internationally recognized hub for transportation equipment and aerospace.”
The in-person event, hosted in partnership with Aéro Montréal, Propulsion Québec, FuzeHub, and the Québec Government was an opportunity for manufacturers and companies in both the ground transportation and aerospace industries to meet and connect with potential customers, suppliers and resources.
In addition to informational sessions, panels and presentations, attendees had access to a B2B (business-to-business) platform to use for requesting meetings and finding new customers, suppliers or assistance.
SHARED CHALLENGES
With so many Canadians and Americans in attendance, discussions about the unique, close and collaborative relationship between the two countries naturally arose.
In the afternoon, when Canadian and New York state officials gave keynote addresses, each speaker talked about that relationship at length and stressed how beneficial it will be in the coming years when faced with shared challenges such as climate change and its effect on the modern transportation landscape.
“Fortunately, the strength of our relationship is unmatched in the world,” Robert T. Sanders, U.S. Consulate General in Montreal, said.
“As friends and partners, we will combat the climate crisis by investing in clean energy technologies, sustainable mobility, intelligent transportation and decarbonization in support of energy transition.”
GOING GREEN
Already, as a result of the impending threat of climate change, Sanders said North America has seen a surge of investment in the green transportation sector.
For example, he said Canada is less than 1% of the world’s population yet represents 13% of the world’s leading clean tech companies. Quebec, specifically, is helping lead the charge by its implementation of a 2030 plan for a green economy.
Sanders said the plan sets a “high bar” for electrification and climate change policy and will look to lead the province into carbon neutrality by 2050.
“This presents numerous opportunities for business on both sides of the border,” he said, specifically highlighting Quebec’s automotive sector, which includes 620 manufacturers of automotive parts, heavy duty vehicles and recreational vehicles.
These growing opportunities will only add to the plenty of cross border business currently being done, such as the partnership between Hydro-Quebec and New York City, which is slated to provide 20% of the city’s electricity and cut its usage of fossil fuels, Sanders said.
“The growing partnership …is a win-win for both our countries and for our shared climate ambitions,” he said.
Nivardo Lopez, Deputy Secretary for Transportation, New York State Executive Chamber, similarly said the collaboration between Canada and New York in addressing climate change is important because bad air quality and pollution have no concept of national boundaries and borders.
“What we do in our state or province or nation has effects far beyond what we see,” Lopez said.
IMPROVING RELATIONSHIP
Beyond the risk of climate change, other potential economic challenges look to impact both the U.S. and Canada and working together to grow their relationship will also help mitigate those, Minister Christopher Skeete, National Assembly of Québec, said.
“In 2023, the trade between Quebec and New York was $12 billion dollars. That means that our relationship is important, it’s strong, it holds value,” he said.
“And it’s not only that, it speaks to the giant opportunities that still remain. As our populations grow, as our economies become more intertwined, there’s going to be even more opportunities and how we build that going forward will also be a testament to the future … We have to deepen these ties. The world is very different from what it was only a few years ago.”
Skeete said before the COVID-19 pandemic occurred, supply chains around the world were secure and interest rates were near zero.
Today, the supply chain is much less secure and interest rates are considerably higher, he said.
In addition to these worsened economic conditions, he said COVID also exposed vulnerabilities of the two countries on the world stage when it became difficult for them to get supplies and parts and especially, computer chips from countries like Taiwan, where 90% of chips are made.
He said the pandemic highlighted the need for more North American independence.
“If we don’t realize the opportunities that lie before us in terms of decoupling our dependency on these chips from that single source supplier, then we may wake up one day and not have it anymore. Which is one of the reasons why Canada, in particular Quebec, was included in the chip fund. and the chip fund happily resides in the U.S. but also in partnership with the Bromont Innovation Center in Quebec,” he said.
“That’s how we help each other face challenges of the future. How we work together and we make things happen together.”