South Queens, NY – New York State Assemblywoman Stacey Pheffer Amato (D-South Queens) traveled to Canada as a member of the New York State Task Force for New York Canada Relations. The State Task Force traveled to Ottawa, the nation's Capital, and Montreal for in depth meetings with the Canadian Government to discuss the multi-billion dollar bi-lateral trade agreements between New York and Canada.

Pheffer Amato spoke in depth with members of the Business Council of Canada, especially regarding the relationship with Canada and the communities she represents. Within the confines of the 5th Congressional District(which encompasses the 23rd Assembly District which Pheffer Amato represents), it was reported that over 1,267 jobs in the community are supported by Canadian businesses, along with the district being responsible for over $311 million worth of exports - the largest amount in Queens County. Throughout New York, over 117,400 jobs are supported by Canadian businesses, with over $18.4 billion in total exports.

The Assemblywoman additionally spoke with the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and the New York Consul General of Canada. “Our neighbors to the North [Canada] contribute a great deal to New York’s economic prosperity. In our own community in South Queens there are hundreds of millions of dollars worth of trade going on which shows the importance of our own local and personal relationship with Canada. Fostering that friendship, and further expanding it benefits everyone,” said Pheffer Amato. Several new trade ideas were discussed, especially in ways for New York to partner with Canada to combat supply chain issues.

One additional area of conversation was the Champlain Hudson Power Express (CHPE), which has also been nicknamed the ‘Quebec-Queens Extension Cord.’ The transmission line is designed to bring clean hydropower to New York and is expected to deliver 1,250 megawatts of clean energy, or enough to power 1 million New York City homes. This is believed to be about 20% of the city's electric demands.