Premier Ralph Klein has invited the vice president of the United States to tour Alberta's northern oilsands.

Klein extended the invitation to Dick Cheney Wednesday during a meeting at the White House.  He didn't get a commitment from Cheney, but Klein hopes the visit can happen in the fall before he retires from office.

Vice-president Dick Cheney meets with Alberta Premier Ralph Klein Wednesday.
(David Bohrer/White House photo)

Cheney already knows about the potential in the oilsands, but the American public is harder to reach, Klein said.

"It still is a problem to get Americans to realize that most of their oil and gas supplies come from Canada. They don't come from Saudi Arabia, they don't come from Venezuela or other South American countries or OPEC nations."

A poll released this week underscores Klein's point.

The Canadian American Business Council  — which represents some of the biggest private sector companies in both countries — said its survey of 1,000 Americans suggests that only four per cent of respondents think Canada is the country that provided them with more oil than anyone else.

All week, the U.S. capital has seen a deluge of high-profile Albertans, including Klein, a number of cabinet ministers, municipal politicians and university officials.

The various events in Washington include receptions and forums on energy, agriculture and technology. It all culminates in the opening on Friday of a 10-day cultural exhibit on Alberta — and, in particular, its vast oilsands —at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival.