Thank you, Chair.
I thank the trade negotiators for coming here today.
My question is for you, Steve.
You've been doing this job quite a while in representing Canada. I don't know if it's been 10 or 15 years, but as long as I've been around, you've been doing negotiations for us. You have participated in many trade deals or negotiations around the world, in different areas and places. When we look at Canada, it seems that all political parties are for supply management; farm groups are, and even consumers are quite favourable toward supply management.
We realize that you and your group get marching orders from our trade and agriculture ministers to protect our supply management. What we see are the negotiations taking place.
I'm asking you, what's your sense when you're not at the table, when you're having a coffee with your colleagues or lunch, whether it's in Geneva or wherever it is? What are they saying? Are they jealous of us? Are they angry with us? Are they interested in our model? Or are some of the emerging economies and African countries who are worried about food security thinking, “You know what? These Canadians might have it all right: is there a way we can have their system?”
I say this because I think the more allies we have or the more people who are thinking about using our system, the better the chance we're going to have to protect it. But if we're always standing there alone with this system that people don't understand....
So what is your sense, beyond the table, when you talk with and repeatedly see your colleagues? Maybe you're the most senior guy up there now, so they're asking you the questions. But tell us what it's like away from the table, when you're talking to all these other countries or representatives.