I agree very much with Mr. Steckle. I am more particularly interested in the opening of the border. What happened at the border since September 2001 has been most difficult for producers in Canada and Quebec.
Apparently, the United States are considering customs tariffs for the inspection of agricultural products, and they could go into effect around November 24. I have a hard time accepting this.
It means you have no trust at all for the Canadian and Quebec inspection system. You do not trust producers or other people here. If you levy customs tariffs for the inspection of our products and if we do the same with yours, all these products will end up being more expensive. Products from Canada and Quebec will be less competitive and so will be the American products.
If we were to decide also to levy custom tariffs for the inspection of your products, if we did not trust your own system, we would both end up with a problem. In that case, products from European countries or other countries would be less expensive for big companies serving all Canadians and Quebeckers.
Do the United States actually intend to levy customs tariffs starting on November 24 for the inspection of agricultural products from Canada?