Yes, I completely agree with you.
Let me take you through a couple of issues on this point on which I've had extensive discussions with governors, senators and congressmen in the area of my responsibility.
The one thing that is top of mind for governors in my area is energy—not only keeping up with what they have now, but whether they will have enough energy to be part of the new economy that's coming. When we talk about the integrated relationship of the economies of Canada and the United States, this is where it really comes into play.
Take a look at, for example, semiconductors. This is a key part of the new economy. We have a semiconductor corridor between Albany, New York, and Bromont, Quebec, that is second to none in the world. We have equipment that is second to none in the world. We do packaging and research in Bromont, Quebec. That is vital to what the chip economy is going to be demanding. We're already integrated into that, and that is an industry that is hundreds and hundreds of billions of dollars large. If we missed out on an opportunity to be part of that, then it would be a disaster for our country. I can happily say that we are fully engaged in that, fully engaged in being part of that supply chain and fully engaged in creating opportunities, not only for Canadian workers but for Canadian academics, inventors and the people who are going to be necessary to what we want to do.
You know, I often say that there are four elements to the new economy: land, water, talent and energy. Those are the four things that you need to be part of the new economy. Canada has all of them. Canada has the most educated workforce in the world. We have land, we have water, and we have energy. We have to keep our eye on the ball. We have to understand how we can be part of a North American solution to what is a growing challenge for the entire world.
We're really well positioned. We have the right people. We have the right industries. All we have to do is seize the opportunities and let everybody know, especially the Americans, that we literally are their very best friends. As one person said, Americans are our best friends whether we like it or not. That was said in the 1960s. It's humorous, but it is true. There is no closer relationship in the world than Canada and the United States.