00 HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 11 01 Recognizing and honoring the relationship between Canada and Alaska. 02 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 03 WHEREAS both Canada and Alaska are blessed with extraordinary natural 04 environments, valuable natural resources, and shared cultures that stretch back millennia; and 05 WHEREAS Canada and Alaska have worked together to create jobs through 06 integrated economies, to protect our shared environment, airspace, and border, and to defend 07 North America from threats; and 08 WHEREAS the citizens of Canada and the citizens of Alaska have developed deep 09 friendships, family ties, and collaborative relationships over the course of history; and 10 WHEREAS the United States and Canada have developed one of the most successful 11 international relationships in the modern world, sharing a vibrant history of democratic 12 governance, military and economic partnerships, and cultural ties; and 13 WHEREAS the United States and Canada have been close allies, serving on 14 battlefields alongside one another in World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the 15 Vietnam War, the Gulf War, the Kosovo War, and the War on Terror, including the Global 16 Coalition against Daesh; and 01 WHEREAS the United States and Canada have been partners in the Permanent Joint 02 Board on Defense since 1940, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization since 1949, and the 03 North American Aerospace Defense Command since 1958, with Alaska's North American 04 Aerospace Defense Command region proudly commanded out of Joint Base Elmendorf- 05 Richardson by an American Commander and a Canadian Deputy Commander; and 06 WHEREAS Canada has provided aid to the United States in times of need, including 07 the Iran hostage crisis, the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, 08 Hurricane Katrina, wildfires in Alaska and across the United States, and other disasters; and 09 WHEREAS the United States and Canada share the world's longest border at 5,511 10 miles, 1,538 miles of which are along Alaska's eastern frontier with the Yukon Territory and 11 the Province of British Columbia; and 12 WHEREAS Canada and Alaska strive to advance the goal of sustaining healthy and 13 resilient Arctic and northern peoples and communities by strengthening economic, cultural, 14 and family connections across the region; and 15 WHEREAS both Canada and the United States benefit from the efficient and secure 16 movement of people and goods between countries, including as partners in vibrant regional 17 cruise industries, fishing industries, resource extraction industries, agricultural industries, 18 energy industries, and medical industries; and 19 WHEREAS the United States is Canada's premier partner in the Arctic, and 20 cooperation between Canada and Alaska is longstanding, including on economic 21 opportunities, health, education, energy, security, environmental protection, infrastructure, 22 and public safety issues; and 23 WHEREAS Alaska annually exports $596,000,000 in goods to Canada, including 24 $438,000,000 in ore and fuel oil; and 25 WHEREAS Alaska annually imports $753,000,000 from Canada, including 26 $370,000,000 in ore and fuel oil; and 27 WHEREAS the United States and Canada have the largest and most comprehensive 28 and balanced trade relationship in the world, totaling $1,000,000,000,000 annually, 29 representing 13.3 percent of total United States trade, with $2,500,000,000 worth of goods 30 and services crossing the United States and Canada border every day; and 31 WHEREAS the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement negotiated by President 01 Donald J. Trump in 2018 provides the framework for much of this bilateral trade, has 02 provided important updates to the North American Free Trade Agreement, and continues to 03 grow both economies; and 04 WHEREAS more than 20,300 jobs in Alaska rely on trade and investment with 05 Canada, and more than 47 Canadian-owned companies operate in Alaska and employ 4,350 06 residents throughout the state; and 07 WHEREAS Canada and Alaska share diverse transportation links by road and by sea, 08 including the Alaska-Canada Highway, constructed during World War II to benefit our shared 09 defense, the Alaska Marine Highway system, which runs from Bellingham, Washington to 10 Alaska through Canadian water and has a terminal at Prince Rupert, and the uniquely 11 interdependent communities of Stewart, British Columbia, and Hyder, Alaska; and 12 WHEREAS the imposition of recent proposed tariffs could threaten this unique, 13 mutually beneficial relationship and could harm the economies of both Alaska and Canada, 14 jeopardizing jobs, businesses, and longstanding partnerships; 15 BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature recognizes the vibrancy and 16 importance of the Alaska-Canada relationship as the world increasingly recognizes the 17 strategic, economic, environmental, and cultural importance of the Arctic; and be it 18 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature believes that Canada and 19 Alaska must continue to work together to make our citizens' lives better, safer, more 20 prosperous, and more affordable; and be it 21 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature recognizes the economic 22 and trade relationships between our nation and Canada and Alaska and Canada; and be it 23 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature opposes restrictive trade 24 measures that would harm the unique relationship between Canada and Alaska or negatively 25 affect our integrated economies; and be it 26 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature honors Alaska's alliance 27 with Canada and looks forward to many more years of cooperation, friendship, trade, tourism, 28 cultural exchange, and good will. 29 COPIES of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable Donald J. Trump, President 30 of the United States; the Right Honourable Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada; the 31 Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada; the Honourable Mary Ng, 01 Minister of Export Promotion, International Trade and Economic Development, of Canada; 02 the Honourable Bill Blair, Minister of National Defence of Canada; the Honorable Marco 03 Rubio, United States Secretary of State; the Honorable Pete Hegseth, United States Secretary 04 of Defense; General Gregory M. Guillot, Commander, North American Aerospace Defense 05 Command and United States Northern Command; Lieutenant General Blaise F. Frawley, 06 Deputy Commander, North American Aerospace Defense Command; Craig Weichel, Consul 07 General of Canada in Seattle, Washington; and the Honorable Lisa Murkowski and the 08 Honorable Dan Sullivan, U.S. Senators, and the Honorable Nicholas Begich, U.S. 09 Representative, members of the Alaska delegation in Congress.