Steinbach MLA Kelvin Goertzen says there was a big emphasis on energy at the Midwest Legislators' Conference last week in Bismarck, North Dakota. It's a meeting of government representatives from the prairie provinces and midwestern states. Goertzen is part of the organization's Canada-U.S. Relations Committee. He says there was a lot of talk at the meeting about oil production and the impact of low oil prices.

"They are concerned about what will happen down the road. At this stage still, North Dakota, in particular, is doing very, very well but, yes, there is concern about the future. It's not just the price, but; How do you maintain the infrastructure? How do you deal with the pressures on growth? And, how do you deal with the issues of transportation? How do you ensure that when you're moving oil, that you're doing it safely and doing in a way that is sustainable for the future so that you're not ruining your infrastructure today for the benefit of something that might not be as long term as you hope?"

Meanwhile, Goertzen says, when it comes to the economy, it was quite apparent that American legislators really feel they have made significant gains and are quite confident about the future.

"They do really feel they have turned the corner. They expect that their next quarter and the remainder of this year is going to be positive, both in terms of job growth and the growth of their economy. So they're feeling cautiously confident, but certainly more confident than I have seen them in the last number of years. That benefits Canada as well. Obviously, if the U.S. does well, then that helps us."

Goertzen adds there were some fun social events at the conference where he got to meet retired special agent Clint Hill who was on scene when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. Retired astronaut Buzz Aldrin was also there.