That's correct, sir.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister, for being here. Let me convey our apologies about the late notice. We really appreciate you taking the opportunity as quickly as you did to respond to our request. It's greatly appreciated.
Let me talk a little about what you have termed as the free and open trade that is your government's position, versus what some of our competitors might actually look at. You used the latest Bill C-18 on the Canadian Wheat Board as that open market piece, versus what our trade competitors and future trade partners talk about as a closed market, that being supply management.
Clearly we've entered into a new realm with the EU, which we're in negotiations with, and the Pacific folks as well when it comes, which includes New Zealand. We see the juxtaposition of an open market for wheat, as you've described it, and a closed market and supply management, as our foreign folks see it, and we want to have agreements with them. So how do we square the circle with them, in lieu of the fact that the minister said in the House that supply management goes on the table—as everything does—and then they work backwards to take it off?
There's one last caveat before I let you comment on this. The Minister of International Trade said today, in reply to a question from the opposition about grain, “What do you want us to do with it—make bread here? We'll export it.” That really suggests to me that the Minister of International Trade is talking about an export market for a raw product, but the Minister of Agriculture—rightly and commendably so—is talking about value-added. So how do we square those circles, Minister?