Winnipeg is hosting the Mid-Western Legislative Conference this week, where political representatives from 4 Provinces and 11 American States come together to discuss important issues between the two countries.

MLA for Arthur-Virden, Doyle Piwniuk, is the co-chair for the event. He says building relationship is key to developing a trade plan between Canada and the US.

"It's a non-partisan conference, which is great. We'll have both republican and democrats state representatives from 11 mid-west states, plus from 4 provinces that are party-associated members. Provinces include Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario."

Piwniuk says discussing issues like trade and tarriffs is important at this time. "It is very important because we have a lot of trade that we have with North Dakota. I think for 9 out of the 11 states, the biggest trading partner is Canada."

"Basically, we're just building relationships with all those states, and understanding them and sharing information about how important trade is between the two countries.

Piwniuk says they've been looking forward to hosting this event. "This is the first time that we are showcasing this event in the province and in the City of Winnipeg."

The Mid-Western Legislative Conference is being held from from July 15th to the 18th, in Winnipeg.