Ontario's premier and the governor of the State of Michigan are reaffirming their strong business ties.
Premier Kathleen Wynne sat down with Governor Rick Snyder Monday morning to talk trade and jobs. The meeting comes after U.S. President Donald Trump proposed renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement and imposing a border adjustment tax.
"Ontario and Michigan are strong partners with deeply integrated economies," read a statement after the meeting. "We remain steadfastly committed to ensuring business on both sides of the border thrive."
The relationship was worth nearly $21-billion in imports into Ontario from Michigan last year.
"Some 259,000 Michigan jobs are supported by trade and investment with Canada, more than 91% of which is with Ontario," continued the statement from Snyder's office.
Trade and jobs were not the only topics on the agenda. The two leaders also discussed continued efforts to restore and manage the Great Lakes, and last summer's automotive memorandum of understanding.
"We are advancing our ability to develop new cutting edge automotive technologies and improve the efficiency and reliability of our supply chains."
A proposal in the federal U.S. budget would cut the Environmental Protection Agency's funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative by 97% to $10-million.
