Thank you very much.
As Ms. Wing identified, paper reduction is a major goal for the coming year. I'm sure it has been in the past, for your own sake as well as for the sake of the people you deal with.
I have two case studies that I would like to use that perhaps would serve as an example of what would change. The first is a process for a farmer who's been trying to develop a new product for export to the United States. He's received an almost instantaneous green light in terms of his product—it's a jam—in the United States; there are no problems. But in Canada he still has not received the go-ahead from the CFIA in spite of numerous.... Well, the paper buildup on this file has been extraordinary.
How do you see the fast-tracking of product development for export, or even domestic consumption—because I'm sure the product would also be utilized in Canada—as part of your paper war?
The second one is an incident that still has not really been fully resolved. During the drought two summers ago, farmers in northwestern Ontario were compelled to get their hay from Minnesota, and there was only one source. Of course, a farmer can't take the entire load all at once. He has to go back and forth with a vehicle of limited capacity. Each time, he would be compelled to have that hay inspected, pay the fee, and have the American inspector travel several hours to do the same thing.
When we can see the situation in the field, how is the public service going to be able to adapt so that you can actually understand what is happening to producers and farmers in a reality situation, as opposed to “These are the rules, so can you please just follow them?” Maybe six or seven of your ranking officers were involved, and no one could come to a conclusion that would be reasonably commonsensical.