00                          SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 4                                                                        
01 Welcoming the delegates of the Pacific NorthWest Economic Region from Alberta, the                                      
02 Northwest Territories, and Saskatchewan; and relating to collaboration with the                                         
03 governments of the Yukon and the Northwest Territories and other representatives of                                     
04 the Pacific NorthWest Economic Region.                                                                                  
05 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE:                                                                                           
06       WHEREAS the Pacific NorthWest Economic Region was formed in 1991 as a forum                                     
07 for collaborative public and private sector planning among the states of Alaska, Montana,                               
08 Washington, Oregon, and Idaho, the Canadian provinces and territories of the Yukon, the                                 
09 Northwest Territories, British Columbia, Alberta, and Saskatchewan, and the national capitals                           
10 of Washington, D.C., and Ottawa, Canada; and                                                                            
11       WHEREAS the Arctic Caucus of the Pacific NorthWest Economic Region was                                          
12 formed in November 2009 as an informal group of legislature, government officials, business                             
13 leaders, and nonprofit organization leaders committed to the responsible development of                                 
14 North America's Arctic region; and                                                                                      
15       WHEREAS the purpose of the Arctic Caucus is to provide a forum within the Pacific                               
01 NorthWest Economic Region for the Arctic jurisdictions of Alaska, the Yukon, and the                                    
02 Northwest Territories to share information, discuss issues of mutual concern, and identify                              
03 areas for collaboration, including working with other jurisdictions and providing Arctic-                               
04 related input to the working groups of the Pacific NorthWest Economic Region; and                                       
05       WHEREAS there is much to be gained by Alaska, the Yukon, and the Northwest                                      
06 Territories closely sharing strategies to solve common problems and working together to                                 
07 solve these problems; and                                                                                               
08       WHEREAS, this year, the Arctic Caucus will be providing input to the Pacific                                    
09 NorthWest Economic Region annual summit in Anchorage, Alaska, on July 14 - 19, 2013;                                    
10       BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate welcomes the visiting delegates of the Pacific                                   
11 NorthWest Economic Region to Alaska's state capital; and be it                                                          
12       FURTHER RESOLVED that the Senate invites the governments of the Pacific                                         
13 NorthWest Economic Region to continue our enduring alliance in pursuit of the common                                    
14 goals of our regions.                                                                                                   
15       COPIES of this resolution shall be sent to the Right Honourable Stephen Harper,                                 
16 Prime Minister of Canada; the Honorable Barack Obama, President of the United States; the                               
17 Honourable John Morris Duncan, Canadian Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern                                         
18 Development; the Honorable Ken Salazar, United States Secretary of the Interior; the                                    
19 Honourable Bob McLeod, Member of the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories;                                 
20 the Honourable Denis Stevens, Consul General of the Consulate General of Canada in Seattle,                             
21 Washington; the Honorable Sean Parnell, Governor of Alaska; the Honorable Mead                                          
22 Treadwell, Lieutenant Governor of Alaska; and the Honorable Lisa Murkowski and the                                      
23 Honorable Mark Begich, U.S. Senators, and the Honorable Don Young, U.S. Representative,                                 
24 members of the Alaska delegation in Congress.