jewhyte / Depositphotos.com
EDMONTON — Alberta is sending a representative to the United States and Mexico this week to promote trade, supply chain connections and economic corridors with North American partners.
Shane Getson, parliamentary secretary for Economic Corridor Development and MLA for Lac Ste. Anne-Parkland, will attend the 2026 Ports-to-Plains Alliance Annual Conference from Sept. 7 to 10.
The conference is being held in Del Rio, Texas, and Acuña, Coahuila, Mexico, and is expected to bring together more than 200 policymakers, transportation officials, industry leaders and businesses.
Getson is expected to promote Alberta’s efforts to reduce internal trade barriers, strengthen supply chains and develop economic corridors connecting the province with customers across Canada and internationally.
“Alberta’s economic future depends on strong, safe, and reliable supply chains that help us grow our strategic trading relationships,” Getson said.
“Ports-to-Plains provides an important platform to showcase Alberta’s leadership in economic corridor development, strengthen our partnerships in the U.S. and Mexico, and promote new opportunities for connectivity that will reap benefits for generations of people living in Alberta and across North America.”
The conference includes representatives from nine U.S. states, including Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Colorado, North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Nebraska and Wyoming.
This year’s theme is Building the Future Interstate: Bridging from Designation to Delivery, with sessions focusing on interjurisdictional and binational transportation networks, freight movement and attracting investment.
The United States remains Alberta’s largest export market.
The province says Alberta exported $152 billion in goods to the U.S. in 2025, representing 85.4 per cent of all provincial exports. Energy products accounted for about $125 billion of that total, while agri-food exports were valued at $8.7 billion.
Alberta exported $992 million in goods to Mexico last year, including $212 million in beef, $206 million in canola and $77 million in wheat.
Getson is scheduled to attend meetings, conference sessions and a speaking engagement in Texas on Tuesday before travelling to Mexico for meetings and sessions Wednesday. He is scheduled to return to Alberta on Thursday.
Comments