Thank you.
I'll be as brief as I can be. I apologize for not getting through the presentation.
First of all, CFIA, as everyone knows, has been consulting since 2009, when Prime Minister Harper made a pronouncement, actually in our Niagara region, that Canadians should be able to have clear and concise labelling. What's on the bottle should be in the bottle.
We need this to be concluded. We're hoping that these discussions are going to end soon, because they impact so much of what we do. An international-Canadian blend should have at least 25% Canadian in the bottle. Every other wine region in the world has at least that. So if you're going to use the term “Canadian”, it should be Canadian in the bottle. It shouldn't be about a process; it should actually be Canadian product. We're hoping that this is going to be concluded soon.
The other component is, yes, growing local.... I think anybody who has any agricultural history in their own particular riding or in the country knows the benefits of a local product. Obviously, the spin-off benefit for us has an economic impact of over $11 when it's made in our area. That comes from the value-add right through to the end product, which is wine.
As everyone knows, the wine regions across this country attract more than just wine. They have restaurants. They have experiences for the entire sector, and that's tourism as well. So investing in that is hugely important in Growing Forward. That's why we support ensuring that the marketing program be reinstated and that it focuses not only on exporting but on the domestic market as well.