The premiers of Alberta and British Columbia – Jim Prentice and Christy Clark – met in Vancouver on Monday, with Clark saying Prentice understood British Columbians in a way his predecessors never have.
"There hasn't been a premier in Alberta's history who has understood British Columbia's uniqueness as well as Premier Prentice does," said Clark. "He has done a lot of work in our province over the years, as federal environment minister, as federal minister responsible for First Nations issues.
"He really understands what makes British Columbia unique. And, you know, we have so much that we have in common that we want to work together on. And in order to make that work, we need to understand also how we're different."
Prentice said he expects to be back in Vancouver later this month, when the city hosts the 2014 Grey Cup.
"The relationship between the Premier of Alberta and the Premier of British Columbia is an extremely important one, obviously for our provinces but really for the country as a whole," Prentice said, following Clark's comments. "I felt it was important to come here, sit down with Premier Clark who I have known and worked with in the past... to start off the relationship.
"It was an opportunity to sit down and talk about a wide range of issues."
Video: The Canadian Press