In closing, Mr. Chair, our farming and agri-food sectors, which have shown signs of flagging since the Uruguay Round, are seeing their ability to respond further diminish.
The Coop fédérée, just like momagri, believes that trading of agricultural products should be liberalized, but that this should be done in the context of a specific negotiation process that takes into account such issues as the safety, security and sovereignty of populations throughout the world. In fact, we believe that increased liberalization without a specific strategic focus on agriculture and food may very well lead to heightened protectionism, as food crises erupt due to the hyper-volatility of markets, as we experienced in 2008. What occurred in 2008 seems to be a harbinger of bigger things to come. Many economists throughout the world share this opinion.
Mr. Chair, that is the Coopérative fédérée de Québec's position, in a nutshell, in response to the question you asked about the competitiveness of Canada's agricultural sector. Thank you for your attention.