Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.
And thank you to the committee for having the Canola Council here today.
Biotechnology is a very important part of innovation in Canadian agriculture. We congratulate the committee for taking on this study and encourage you to make recommendations that help advance biotechnology in Canada.
The Canola Council is a vertically integrated association that represents all sectors of the canola industry, including the 43,000 farmers in Canada who grow canola, as well as seed developers, processors, and exporters. We all sit at the same table to ensure that canola value remains intact and profitable.
Canola is a product of Canadian innovation. It was developed early in the seventies by researchers at the University of Manitoba and Agriculture Canada, using traditional breeding practices.