Mr. Speaker, what does the hon. member think we ought to be doing to deepen the relationships between American and Canadian legislators?
Why has the government not done more to build on the success of the previous Martin government in introducing a secretariat in the U.S. as part of the embassy there to develop ties between Canadian members of Parliament and senators and their counterparts in Congress and the U.S. Senate? The Martin government also quite significantly increased consular representation and the Canadian missions in the U.S., recognizing the real importance of having stronger relations between legislators. What has the Conservative government done to build on that?
Does the member agree that these relationships between legislators are absolutely essential now?