Interview: the Canada-US Inter-Parliamentary Group at 50.

• Author: Levy, Gary
• Position: Jerry Grafstein - Interview

In May 2009 the Canada-United States Inter-Parliamentary Group marked its 50th anniversary. Senator Jerry Grafstein has been Co-Chair of the Canadian Section of the Group for fourteen years, the longest serving Chair in the history of the Group. He spoke about his reflections on the Group in April 2009 with Gary Levy.

What is the Canada-United States Inter-Parliamentary Group and why is it important?

The Group owes its origins to two American Congressmen, Brooks Hays and Frank Coffin. During the 1950s they undertook a study mission to Canada. They discovered a lot of irritants ranging from Defence procurement to trade issues. One of their recommendations was for an association of legislators from the two countries. Every year since 1959 approximately 24 legislators from each country get together to discuss matters of mutual interest.

The importance of the Group is obvious. Canada and the United State have an integrated economy. Billions of dollars in goods cross the border every day and some estimate that 50% of all the jobs in Canada are related to our trade with the United States. We are the largest suppliers of energy to the United States. The standard of living and well being of individuals on both sides of the border depends on good political and economic relations between the two countries.

When and how did you first become involved with the Group?

The first meeting I attended was in 1987 in Vancouver. I also attended the 1995 meeting in Huntsville, Ontario. Senator Bud Olson who was Co-Chair said he was retiring and encouraged me to stand for the Executive Committee of the Canadian Section. He told me I had the necessary interest and energy to be a successful co-chair. He said the Canadian Section needed someone with the right chemistry to get along with the Americans.

My first Conference as Co-Chair was in 1996 and it was a bit unusual in that it took place entirely aboard one of the Alaska Marine Ferries as it travelled from Prince Rupert to Alaska. At one point we were passing an iceberg and the captain announced he was sending members of the crew over to the iceberg to bring back some ice that would be used for the cocktails that evening. I told him that in Canada we do ourselves what you send crew to do and I insisted that I accompany them. He was reluctant to put me in all the safety gear but I did not want to miss the opportunity to set foot on an iceberg.

John Chafee, the Senator from Rhode Island, (former Secretary of the Navy under Richard Nixon) overheard the conversation and said he wanted to go as well. To the consternation of the Captain a half dozen Canadian and American legislators piled into the lifeboat and headed off to the iceberg. I am not sure if that is what Senator Olson had in mind when he talked about getting along with the Americans but that certainly made me well known among the Group. Such experiences go a long way to cementing relationships that come in handy in political life.

Are you concerned about criticism that such trips are junkets and a waste of money?

Anyone who makes that argument does not understand the importance of personal and social contacts in making public policy decisions. In 2000, the annual conference took place aboard another ship, the Delta Queen, a Mississippi riverboat. As we steamed down the river, the Canadians were struck by the immensity and emptiness of the American heartland. In Natchez we stopped for a bus tour of the city and an old plantation. My wife noticed the two Black members of Congress sitting at the back of the bus and she asked them to accompany her on the plantation tour.

After the tour we were met by Trent Lott who was the Senate Majority Leader and one of the most powerful individuals in Congress. Not all conference itineraries are as exotic as those two boat trips but each one includes opportunities for legislators to see parts of the North American continent they might not otherwise be familiar with, to meet national, state and local leaders, and to discuss in both formal and informal settings whatever issues are of...