Roger Gaudet at the Agriculture and Agri-Food Committee

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

I would like to hear your opinion. At the conference on agricultural opportunities in 2007 organized by the USDA on March 1^st and 2^nd, the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Mike Johanns, stated that a federal investment in agriculture is very desirable and productive. He added that the form the investment takes is key. He also said that such an investment has to provide certainty and preclude any possibility of trade challenges.

In your view, what would be the best way for the federal government to invest in a new agriculture and agri-food policy without getting slapped by the WTO or somebody else? The Americans seem to know how to do it. I would like to know your opinion on this, Mr. Weber.