Thank you very much, gentlemen, for being here.
When we talk about exports and access to markets, all of that is tied in with our lack of competitiveness. We want to improve that.
Mr. Martin, you talked about losing market share in the food processing industry, and you gave some statistics showing the value-added ratio is five to one in the United States and three to one here. Why would it be different? Is it because of the wages? And if so, does that mean we have to pay lower wages in Canada to be competitive?
I know that in the Niagara Peninsula, the last food processor recently shut down. So how do we keep food processors alive, so they can process local food in this case? This is a problem now. These folks don't have a place to send their tree fruit, their peaches.
You talked about the tree fruit industry and losing market share. I have been quoted as saying that a lot of this is due to trade agreements. For example, under our free trade agreement and NAFTA, we used to have in-season tariffs for vegetable producers, who could make a living. Now, with our agreements, that's no longer the case.
In the apple industry, American apples are being dumped here. In the area I come from, in the southern Okanagan, many people are converting to grapes because they can't compete otherwise. And this is a result of trade agreements. Yet at the same time, we're saying that we need more agreements and more exports.
I'd like you to comment on this whole idea of market share. Are some of these agreements obstacles? We have this whole local food movement in Canada. Should we be trying not only to protect our local farmers, but also encourage them to make a living here in Canada?
Maybe I'll stop there, because I have other questions, if I have time.