Canada

WHEREAS, Since the foundation of our state, we have shared strong 1
economic, political, and cultural ties to our Canadian neighbors in 2
British Columbia; and 3
WHEREAS, Throughout our history, Washingtonians have traveled to 4
visit our family members, friends, and colleagues living across our 5
northern border, while they have visited us in return; and6
WHEREAS, The United States and Canada share the longest peaceful 7
border in history with 166 years of peace along 5,525 miles of 8
border; and 9
WHEREAS, With honor, respect, and acknowledgment, Canada and the 10
United States share a deep and enduring connection with the First 11
Nations and Tribes — the first peoples of both nations — who have 12
upheld agreements with federal governments in recognition of their 13
sovereignty and inherent rights; whose bloodlines, culture, and 14
traditional laws have sustained these lands since time immemorial; 15
and who continue to be essential partners and leaders in economic 16
sustainability within their respective countries and across borders; 17
and 18
WHEREAS, Residents of Point Roberts, Washington, a pene-exclave 19
community, must cross the United States-Canadian border twice to get 20
to school, the doctor's office, and other services, relying heavily 21
on smooth border operations; and 22
SENATE RESOLUTION
8696
By Senators Shewmake, Short, and Hasegawa
p. 1 8696
WHEREAS, British Columbians and Washingtonians have served 1
their countries valiantly together in two world wars and many 2
other conflicts; and 3
WHEREAS, The abundant natural resources and uniquely 4
beautiful landscapes of the Pacific Northwest are core to the 5
identities of those living in this region, regardless of 6
national origin; and 7
WHEREAS, The Senate recognizes the cultural ties and 8
contributions of Canada to music and media, without which we 9
would not have Joni Mitchell, Alanis Morisette, Avril Levine, 10
Harvest Moon, If I Had a Million Dollars, Anne with an "E", 11
Shane and Ilya, Call Me Maybe, or Wayne's World; and12
WHEREAS, The Senate acknowledges the shared economic 13
prosperity from integrated supply chains and thriving maritime, 14
technology, manufacturing, farming, and forestry industries that 15
span across political borders; and 16
WHEREAS, Washington and British Columbia are permanently 17
linked by the Salish Sea, whose waters are unconstrained by 18
national borders; and 19
WHEREAS, The collaboration and flow of ideas between 20
Washington State and British Columbia is essential for the 21
shared efforts toward marine habitat restoration, natural 22
disaster mitigation, advancing clean technologies, and exploring 23
solutions to regional challenges; and 24
WHEREAS, Earlier this month, members of the Washington State 25
Legislature signed the charter for the British Columbia-26
Washington Interparliamentary Agreement to promote dialogue 27
between legislators, explore solutions to common challenges, 28
address cross-border constituency matters, and engage in 29
discussions on areas of mutual interest and accomplishment; and30
WHEREAS, The nearly eight billion dollars brought in from 31
exports to Canada every year contributes to our resilient 32
economy, and in turn our consumers benefit from the products we 33
import from the north; and 34
WHEREAS, Washingtonians rely on the electrical power shared 35
over our northern border, as well as the oil refined here in 36
Washington and imported from British Columbia; and37
p. 2 8696
WHEREAS, Our regions share common environmental challenges 1
and seek to exchange knowledge in areas of ecological 2
stewardship and the process of energy modernization and 3
adaptation; and 4
WHEREAS, Quebec's unique leadership in creating the largest 5
North America carbon market informs Washington's approach to 6
carbon mitigation as we continue our strong partnership and 7
collaborative environmental engagement; and 8
WHEREAS, Border communities particularly benefit from the 9
Canadian tourists visiting our state to visit our restaurants, 10
entertainment, grocery, and retail stores; and 11
WHEREAS, Peace Arch Park in Blaine, which describes our two 12
nations as "children of a common mother," provided a place for 13
loved ones separated by the border closure during the COVID-19 14
pandemic to reunite and visit their friends and family; and15
WHEREAS, Our Canadian neighbors provide aid to our country 16
in times of crisis, lending supplies and volunteers during the 17
Nooksack floods, sending water bombers to combat wildfires, and 18
allowing stranded passengers and planes to take refuge on 19
September 11, 2001; 20
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Senate recognize 21
the immeasurable value of our interconnected relationship with 22
Canada and its profound impact on the people of Washington 23
State. 24
I, Sarah Bannister, Secretary of the Senate, 25
do hereby certify that this is a true and 26
correct copy of Senate Resolution 8696, 27
adopted by the Senate 28
February 25, 2026 29
SARAH BANNISTER 30
Secretary of the Senate 31
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