Mr. Chair, I realize a minority situation makes it more difficult to travel, but at the subnational level, in the Pacific Northwest economic region, the buddy relationship that was spoken of does exist among British Columbia, Yukon, Alberta, and now Saskatchewan, and, on the American side, Alaska, Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. It's very effective.
You will remember in the American system there is a progression from city to county to Congress to Senate, then often back to the state house as governor, and then back to the U.S. Senate. And never forget, four of the last six presidents were governors. The current president was both a state senator and then a U.S. senator. These relationships are critically important. In my many calls on Congress--now on both sides, because again it doesn't matter whether they're Republican or Democrat--they would speak of their relationships with Canadian legislators, both at the provincial level and with members like you. It just makes such a difference.
So I think there are many ways to do it. But the idea of the personal relationships that you make.... I was talking recently with Rob Merrifield, who was co-chair of the committee until he moved. He'd established a very good relationship with, for example, Louise Slaughter, who is now chair of the critical rules committee and was co-chair of the Canada-U.S. interparliamentary group. This goes across the way.
Jerry Grafstein will go on at some length about his superb relationships, and he's telling the truth. I used to sort of attach myself to Jerry when he would go around and work the Hill, because, again, there are doors you can open that benefit all. That's something that you have that really no one else has, and it's an asset that we have, because we understand one another, particularly that the significance of being elected members makes a difference.