Legislative exchanges deepen cross-border ties among region’s leaders

May 26, 2026

Cross-border relationship Midwest-Canada relations

A bipartisan delegation of state lawmakers from the Midwest traveled to the province of Alberta in May as part of an ongoing, cross-border legislative exchange program facilitated by The Council of State Governments’ Midwestern Legislative Conference.

These state-provincial exchanges help deepen binational relations while providing the opportunity for legislators on both sides of the border to work together on shared issues and to learn from each other.

Eight legislators from six Midwestern states took part in the three-day exchange. They met with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, Legislative Assembly Speaker Ric McIver, and several provincial ministers. They also toured the provincial Capitol; observed a legislative Question Period; and met with officials from Edmonton Global, the University of Alberta and Edmonton-area businesses.

CSG Midwest staff coordinated the exchange with the Government of Alberta.

Participating in this year’s delegation were Illinois Rep. Joyce Mason; Indiana Rep. Carolyn Jackson and Indiana Sen. Eric Koch; Ohio Rep. Elgin Rogers, Jr.; Nebraska Sens. Dan Lonowski and Terrell McKinney; North Dakota Sen. Larry Luick; and Wisconsin Rep. David Armstrong, who is co-vice chair of the CSG Midwestern Legislative Conference Midwest-Canada Relations Committee.

About the MLC

The Midwestern Legislative Conference (MLC) is a nonpartisan association of all legislators representing 11 states — Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin — and the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The provinces of Alberta, Manitoba and Ontario are MLC affiliate members.

The MLC’s Midwest-Canada Relations Committee provides a regular forum for cross-border policy dialogue and collaboration among legislators from the region’s 11 states and four provinces — including through the legislative exchange program. The committee will next meet during the MLC’s 80th Annual Meeting, on Aug. 30-Sept. 2 in Saint Paul, Minn.