For clarification, I will say a few words about our work under NAFTA and then I will turn to Dr. Aucoin to discuss the pilot, which is referring to some minor uses and builds upon our NAFTA work.
We have made considerable progress under the NAFTA technical working group; that is, Canada, U.S., and Mexico. It isn't really an even threesome. Mexico is there. Mexico has recently developed its own law and regulation and is still sort of feeling its way as to how it can work in the NAFTA context. But it's involved very much in our discussions, and one of the big benefits of that NAFTA forum is it doesn't impede close work and progress between Canada and the United States.
The NAFTA work has evolved from first looking at things such as what the data requires and working to harmonize the data requirements, which is a big benefit for the industry, to considering how we evaluate the data, making sure criteria are consistent, all the way to this program of joint reviews.
A number of us think the program of joint reviews is a very solid point for the future. What's really happening is that the companies are bringing a submission to both the U.S. and Canada at the same time. We divvy up the submission and it's agreed that Canada will review certain aspects of the file and the U.S. will review other aspects of the file, then we come together and discuss our respective decisions.
In discussions, both within Canada and the U.S., we've been clear that not one of us can abrogate to the other the responsibility of making a decision. A very clear example for us in the Canadian context is that we have to look at things such as our Species at Risk Act, and in the United States they have to look at their Endangered Species Act. We know that at times there will be some differences, but the intent is to minimize any differences that are under our control and to maximum the harmonization across the two.
Going forward, we hope that will address the fact and reduce the increase in this technology gap. The problem is that the history shows that Canada didn't approve as many products, mostly because industry wasn't bringing them to us for those uses, and this is where we think this kind of pilot project will have some pay-offs.
I'd ask my colleague Richard to make some comments on that.