I thank all of you very much for being here.
Mr. Bell, when we look at innovation, farmers' markets, and those who grow local produce, you mentioned that we need to do more to support Canadian domestic markets. Before I move into other questions, I'm wondering, apart from providing research tools and in the area innovation, what other role the government can play.
For example, I know that a few of us were on this committee in 2007, and we had some recommendations. One of them, as a result of our study, was to encourage the federal government to buy from local farmers for federal institutions. The response that all of us got back was that it would somehow contravene the trade obligations.
I wonder if you've thought about this and if you have any ideas on how we can move forward on this to ensure that our governments--municipal, provincial, and federal--have a chance to access good-quality local food. That's the first question I'd like to ask you.