International Trade committee  That's certainly well advanced. I'm not going to say that there will never be any problems, because these are always ongoing issues. Particularly when you have a new species of concern or a new disease, new measures often have to be taken, but the sanitary and phytosanitary measures chapter of CETA is more advanced than any other chapter of that type that we've negotiated.

International Trade committee  I'd have to say that it's very important, because I think that when we have an effort at the World Trade Organization that is not moving ahead, then it really does become a bit of a competition between countries to see who can get the greatest access to other markets and who can benefit the most from increases in access.

International Trade committee  I think that will really depend on the issue. I think that if it's strictly a bilateral issue, certainly countries will use the kinds of mechanisms we're developing now with CETA, because they tend to be more efficient and more timely and you can get through the process more quickly.

International Trade committee  Yes.

International Trade committee  Yes, we do expect that. I think that in areas such as those that you've mentioned, we do have a specific working group on biotechnology that is targeted entirely in that direction of science-based decisions, timely processes, and getting through the process very quickly. I think we'll see improvements in that area.

International Trade committee  With respect to dairy and to cheese in particular, there are really two aspects to it. We did provide access for only one dairy product, and that is cheese, although we also opened up milk protein concentrates, which is something the U.S. and others already have. When we looked at the cheese access, while I'm not going to suggest it's not a significant number, we found it is a smaller number than the proportion by which the cheese sector in Quebec and in Canada has been growing over the years.

International Trade committee  Yes, I would say that I do think that will be the case, and I think we've seen—particularly in Quebec, as I'm sure you're aware—that there are many producers of artisanal cheese. There is a huge variety of cheese being produced in Quebec. We're starting to see some interest in those types of cheeses in Europe.

International Trade committee  I think that with the commitment to make significant new investments in infrastructure, the Europeans, particularly once CETA comes into effect, will be very interested in not only providing services but also supplying some of those contracts, and if the Europeans are more advanced than we are in those cases, it can be an advantage to us with respect to both the technology and the cost.

International Trade committee  I think that the economic relationship between Canada and Europe, at least up until now, has been more oriented towards investing in each other's economy than in trading with each other. I think that while we do have a significant level of trade, we will see an enhancement of that.

International Trade committee  With respect to the auto sector, we could see some significant potential benefits. It will certainly offset any potential negative impacts that may come from other areas. We'll really see an increased emphasis in the investment and attraction to the auto sector, and the auto parts sector as well, given the access to the EU market.

International Trade committee  The appeal process, as I mentioned a couple of times now, is something that's brand new. What we've agreed is that there is a need or a desire to have an appellate mechanism after the initial decision is made. In the current system, with the current approach around the world, once that decision is made, there's very little recourse.

International Trade committee  We'll have to see. It's certainly the EU's intention to try to pursue this type of approach in all of the agreements it currently has, including with its member states. The EU accounts for more than 1,400 bilateral investment treaties around the world. If it really does change all of those, then I think that starts to change the entire approach to investment around the world.

International Trade committee  I think it will happen across various sectors. When it comes to Quebec, in the discussions we've had, agriculture certainly would be one component, but we would also expect to see significant gains in areas like transportation and manufacturing. Certainly Quebec has an interest in clean technology as well.

International Trade committee  I do. I think we've received quite a bit of support from the auto sector itself. One part of the elements in the negotiations that was particularly important to the auto sector was that we negotiated this tariff quota of 100,000 cars, which is about what the EU exports to us now.

International Trade committee  It may not be in place that quickly. We will be working on it in the interim and certainly will be considering it, but I think it will probably take a bit of time after the agreement is in place before we actually have the appellate body functioning and in place.