Thank you, gentlemen, for coming and sharing your knowledge with us.
We started off the discussion with a reference to Alberta, and I would like to say, throwing my two cents' worth in, that I think here we have a province that's doing something to help cattle producers, and I think that perhaps other provinces should be following suit, as maybe should the federal government. If they're doing something and helping our folks there, that's great, and I applaud them for that.
I've been at something like 20 hearings on food sovereignty and food security across the country. One theme that's appearing over and over again is the fact that many feel we're losing control of our food supply. In other words, we're losing our food sovereignty in our nation. It seems to me that supply management is one way we can retain and are retaining control of what we're doing.
I have a statistic here. Mr. Busby, I'd like you to comment on this. In March 2008, a New Zealand study noted that the price of a two-litre container of milk in New Zealand currency was--and obviously this is an average price--in the United States, $2.53; Britain, $2.94; Australia, $3.10; New Zealand, $3.25; France, $3.43; and Canada, the only country with supply management, $2.36. That was in March 2008, based on average prices in New Zealand currency. That's the first thing. You kept referring to the fact that consumers are going to benefit if we do away with or modify the system. If in fact this statistic is correct, and it's possible that's not the case....
I do know, for example, that countries like New Zealand would just love to get into our market and flood our market with their cheap butter and milk products. So far we're able to protect one sector of our agricultural community from this. Then it comes around that, if the system is working--and there are flaws, as there are in other systems--and if it's keeping money in Canada, it's not costing the government anything, and the consumer prices are reasonably low, and we're getting good Canadian produce, in this day and age of pressure coming from the World Trade Organization and other countries to modify this system, why would we even think of trying to tamper with it? I'll ask you that question. If others would like to comment, I'd be happy to hear the comments.