Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
In my county, 60% of the economic activity pertains to agriculture. We have everything; I often tell people that the only thing missing are snakes and crocodiles. I think that today's young people are more and more aware of greenhouse gases. I talk a lot about food sovereignty. Food sovereignty begins with regional and local products. I agree with you, Mr. Sands, when you say that you do not feel there is any need for some type of pan-Canadian organization, because Quebec and other provinces paid for the problems related to the mad cow disease in Alberta. That is why it is absolutely essential that we protect our food safety in Quebec, this is important. We have not had diseased beef cattle in Quebec in 25 years.
Considering this situation, considering food sovereignty and the fact that young people are aware of greenhouse gas, would this not be a window of opportunity for companies or independents to promote local or regional products? A lot people are involved in secondary and tertiary processing. For example, I have dairy farms in my riding that produce cheese, butter, ice cream; these people are involved in secondary and tertiary processing. Given what is happening in the environmental sector, would this not be an opportunity for you to really sell regional products without having to go through 52 other cities in order to deliver your goods?