In summary, western Canadian farmers are among the most competitive in the world. It is our willingness to embrace innovation that keeps us profitable and ahead of emerging competitors. For the most part, we face good competition in our input markets. A key concern, however, is our inability to gain access to imports of many of the crop protection products that are equivalent to products registered in Canada. We also urge Canada to continue to seek greater market access for all our products, whether through multilateral or bilateral trade negotiations.
Going forward, the key to improving our competitiveness will be the implementation of a voluntary Canadian Wheat Board. Creating a free market in wheat and barley would eliminate our captivity and improve competition in the grain handling and transportation sector. It would lead to greater processing of our grain here at home. More processing facilities would mean farmers have more choices and more competition for their grain.
Moving to a free market in wheat and barley would also encourage greater private investment in research and development of new varieties. Newer wheat varieties with disease- or insect-resistant traits, or improved nutrition traits, would allow us to reverse the downward trend in our global market share. Being among the first to adopt new technology gives us the best chance to compete against emerging global competition.
Lastly, freeing up the wheat and barley markets would improve farm margins and unleash the entrepreneurial energies of prairie farmers. We have seen the wheat market in Ontario flourish following removal of the wheat monopoly. We look forward to the day when we can see a similar success story repeated in western Canada.