International Trade committee  No. I think grain is different that way in that it's not a living, breathing animal. Just the fact that people calve in the spring and the product has to be there before it's 21 months old means farmers just can't grow their animals quickly enough to be there on a timely basis.

International Trade committee  When we grow grains in Canada, there are two major areas: one for human consumption, another for animal feed. If our beef and pork industries gain more access to the Japanese market, then that's a good place for our feed grains to go, because our feed grains are worth less money

International Trade committee  Thank you very much for the question. In our discussions we were talking about how it's one thing to open up the markets and get access, but can we actually get the grain from the prairies to that marketplace in time? Can we get identity-preserved soybeans from Mr. Easter's isla

International Trade committee  There's a rail service review under way. Mr. Dinning is chairing that, and it's one of those things where you start off with a high level of ambition but the longer the railways lobby against you the weaker the ambition seems to get. We are working; we have a coalition that repre

International Trade committee  The meeting went very well. Part of it is what our competition is out there alleging—i.e, you know, you should come and talk to us, because we'll be able to meet your quality specifications. Part of the concern was that, as we know, the future of the wheat board was a very divi

International Trade committee  One area I'm talking about is the tariff escalation where they allow the raw products into Japan at one tariff rate, then a much higher tariff rate if you want to send any value-added products. Canola is a good one. You can ship raw canola seed, but you pay a much higher penalt

International Trade committee  I would have to make a commitment to come back with some numbers, through the chair.

International Trade committee  Sure. We have a very long history of exporting wheat to Japan, but they're very, very specific with their quality parameters. If you can meet those, then there's a premium price attached to that. In Canada we're very good at that, whether it was through the Wheat Board or whe

International Trade committee  Thank you. My comments will be much shorter than 10 minutes. We are excited about the new prospects and opportunities that a Canada-Japan partnership represents for Canadian farmers. A new trade deal that decreases current Japanese tariffs will unlock new markets for Canadian f

International Trade committee  Our experience is the pulse industry, and one of my closest neighbours in Tisdale is a huge pulse exporter. Most of the product going over there is consumed there. There might be some re-exporting to the EU, but to a large degree there'd be very little export coming back, just b

International Trade committee  I only focus on our exports. I'm sorry.

International Trade committee  Sure. The Canadian International Grains Institute, as you know, does a lot of primary research. It brings in Jordanian flour millers, let's say, and shows them how to work with the Canadian wheats that we export into that area. They've actually expanded their program recently

International Trade committee  Yes. A lot of trade—and perhaps Ms. Kubba would like to add to this—in some parts of the world, such as the Middle East, comes from relationships. The longer you trade, the better the relationships. A lot of trade happens then through extended families, once you establish the ini

International Trade committee  Yes, Morocco as well; it's similar.