Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was in town for the annual Microsoft CEO Summit this week, and he had some time to squeeze in a meeting with Washington Gov. Jay Inslee.
The two officials made a brief public appearance Thursday to lay out ways they can cooperate on issues of climate change, trade and the importance of diversity and accepting refugees. Inslee managed to get in a little dig at President Donald Trump, too.
“We share so much more in common with Canada than a common boarder,” Inslee said. “We share an incredible commitment to defeating climate change and a recognition that we can grow our economies while doing that. And it is a great pleasure to know that we have a national leader on the North American continent who is committed to that.”
Inslee said he couldn’t remember a Canadian prime minister visiting Washington during his lifetime. This visit is another example of the increasingly close ties between the state and province separated by a national boarder.
Microsoft has been a catalyst in the relationship between the areas, specifically Seattle and Vancouver. Last year, a conference held in Vancouver, B.C. focused on ways the two regions can team up to turn the area into an “innovation hub.” Microsoft also donated $1 million to a new partnership from the University of Washington and University of British Columbia.
Here are the full remarks from the two leaders:
