That's a good point. I'm not sure how governments can legislate nomination meetings. That would be a tough one. I'm sure you have some ideas on that, but they'd have to get the nomination first.
When I was here and sat with your uncle Benoît, I came in at a time when I didn't have to fight for a nomination. The Reform Party was brand new and they were looking for any conscious, warm body able to string a few sentences together. I'm serious. I was acclaimed as a candidate, and then I was blessed by being re-elected several times after that.
It's important that people who are testing the waters for nominations.... Women have networks as well, maybe not as wide as the men's—certainly in my day, theirs were not as wide as the men's—and they need to get over the fear of running and the fear of losing. They need to be able to develop those networks. Sitting MPs should mentor people, and tell them, “I believe in you. Let's have coffee, and let's talk about whether you're really going to go through with this.”
The nomination meeting is the key to everything, regardless of party. If we know a university student who wants to go to campaign school, let's rustle up some money and send them off to campaign school. Maybe they don't have money for it or they don't know enough people to do it, so you say, “I'll throw a coffee party for you.” This is a practical way to help them get to know some other people who could build a team for them for the nomination.