--since I was the first ambassador. I was there for 10 years. What I found was that it was extremely useful to have a strong senior focal point in the government.
I know that Minister Cannon has said he is the person responsible, but I found that on a day-to-day basis working within the department, and also with other countries because we're a member of the Arctic Council, it was always very important to have a focal point so that people could come and talk to you about the issues. I think that was really the strength of Canada's participation in the Arctic Council, as well as in dealing with other issues on the Arctic.
I found it extremely useful to be able to talk to the deputy minister and the assistant deputy minister, as well as the minister on occasion, about some of the priorities that were being expressed by northern people, not just by Inuit but by northern people. I've always felt that it was a very important position.