Thank you, Minister, for being here. I'm happy that this bill is finally in front of this committee.
I was listening to Madame Brosseau, but I don't feel that this is an omnibus bill at all. It has a few focused, well-aimed initiatives or thrusts. That it touches on a number of acts doesn't make it an omnibus bill just because, as I said, it focuses on four or five key areas.
I want to talk about one of those areas, which is plant breeders' rights. Plant breeders' rights is a very important aspect of the bill. When the agriculture committee travelled during the last Parliament, we did a study on research and development within the seed sector. The information we received was that developing a certain trait within a plant can take 10 to 12 years. That would not be uncommon. I believe the investment would be in the very high tens of millions of dollars, perhaps even over $100 million, depending on the nature of the trait, etc.
The bill talks about moving from UPOV 78 to UPOV 91. I wonder if you could highlight some of the advantages of moving from UPOV 78 to UPOV 91. Perhaps you could also elaborate on what the economic advantages would be to the farmers on the ground.