North Country Congressman Bill Owens met with business leaders in Canton and Montreal this week to discuss spurring economic growth on both sides of the Canada- U.S. border.

The North Country and Ireland-Canada Chambers of Commerce presented a seminar on Wednesday featuring Owens as he discussed cross-border trade issues including provisions of the recent “Beyond the Border” agreement between the United States and Canada.

Friday, Owens met with business leaders in Canton.

“The North County holds great potential for economic growth as a gateway between Montreal and the northeastern United States along the I-81 and I-87 corridors, and one of my priorities is to work with local leaders and convince private companies that our region is the best place to set up shop,” Owens said.

“Over the past year, we have seen promising signs of development with job creators like North American Tapes, Alcoa, and Bombardier expanding, and I believe that we can continue this trend by working together and promoting a secure yet fluid northern border.”

“Doing Business in the U.S.” included business experts from New York State and highlighted the beneficial trade relationship that Canada and New York have maintained for more than a century.

After the presentation, Owens was the featured guest of a roundtable discussion at the United States Consulate in Montreal, hosted by the U.S. Consul General Andrew Parker. Roundtable participants included representatives of the North Country Chamber of Commerce, the Federation of Chambers of Commerce of Quebec (FCCQ), the Montreal Board of Trade, the American Chamber of Commerce in Canada, the Government of Quebec, and several businesses. Owens, a Democrat from Plattsburgh, discussed operations of the Congressional Northern Border Caucus, of which he is a co-chair with Congressman Denny Rehberg (R-MT).

Owens is holding a roundtable with business leaders from communities of New York’s 23rd Congressional District in Canton today to discuss job openings and what the federal government should – and should not – be doing to help employers fill them.

Owens has participated in these seminars with the North Country Chamber of Commerce for 20 years, encouraging investment and expansion of Canadian companies on the American side of the northern border.

Before being elected to Congress in 2009, Owens spent more than 25 years in business development in New York.