I'd be surprised if exports had tripled. They could have tripled, but beef typically is not a large export commodity out of Canada compared to pork. The pork industry, tonnage-wise, sends a lot more pork out of the country than the beef industry. Alberta beef--that's what I would know of--is largely consumed within the North American continent and into higher-end diets as an export product. I think this whole thing about selling food security to another country is possibly something to look at, rather than trying to limit our production in supply management and providing food security for Canada.
On December 3rd, 2009. See this statement in context.