Agriculture committee  Yes, indeed, because we will have bigger export markets, more opportunities for investment. Then there will be a higher cost to leaving your money sitting idle and more chances to put it to productive use to help feed the growing markets that we can now serve, and to improve prod

Agriculture committee  I think so, because to meet the special challenges with respect to GMOs and some of the other factors that have been discussed here, it is going to be technology that will help us find suitable answers. And of course research is the way to develop those technologies.

Agriculture committee  Right now, the Canadian dollar is of course significantly lower than the euro. I'm afraid that I am not in a position to project what's going to happen to our currency as this agreement takes place. If there's more demand for Canadian products, then of course our dollar strengthe

Agriculture committee  Very, very definitely; if there is no direct free trade between Europe and the United States, and Canada has access to both, we can look for even more investment, business opportunities, markets, and exports coming, being developed, and operating in Canada to gain access to both

Agriculture committee  This is the first I have heard of that. I think it would be a very good thing. Eighty million people is around the size of Mexico. Canada's agriculture industry would be very complementary to that of Turkey. I think that would be a very significant boost. It would be the equivale

Agriculture committee  Thank you for catching that. I did say “major”, yes.

Agriculture committee  My view, as an economist, is that if we're concerned with the well-being of all Canadians, all Canadians who eat, drink milk, and so on, we should have more open markets and we shouldn't have supply management. From where I live, I see lines of people regularly going across the U

Agriculture committee  I am in favour of free markets. I oppose any kind of subsidization. But I think the way to get to a better situation is through less subsidization, less supply management, rather than more.

Agriculture committee  I have to tell you, sir, that just before free trade with the United States and open wine markets came in, I was speaking to British Columbia wine producers, where we have our share of Baby Duck, and I said the British Columbia wine industry is not in trouble because of free trad

Agriculture committee  Yes. I definitely think so. When people discover they have both increased markets—so they want to get a better, more competitive product—and more competition for their home markets, people will find ways to be a lot more productive and a lot more effective. I used the New Zealand

Agriculture committee  Well, increasing markets of course will increase our exports and will help us. The other factor is the factor that I've mentioned before: being encouraged by the circumstances of the free trade agreement to become more productive, because it is productivity and offering good valu

Agriculture committee  Oh, sorry, was that question for me?

Agriculture committee  Okay. I'm very glad you asked that question, thank you very much, because I think I have an answer to it. I have been honoured, if you will allow me to say so, with the Order of Canada, which got me an invite to a lunch with the Governor General. At that very fine meal, we had

Agriculture committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'm very happy to talk to you, and I'm very happy that you have invited an economist to address your committee, because I will be presenting the broad views on the impact of the agreement on the whole Canadian economy. I don't have detailed knowledge of s

Agriculture committee  Good. Thank you for inviting me.