First of all, as I pointed out in the opening remarks, many non-tariff measures, although we often use the concept of “barriers”, are in place for very legitimate reasons, such as those aimed at protecting human, animal, and plant health. Often what we see as a legitimate policy measure may be seen by trading partners as excessively restrictive. That's why these committees we have at the World Trade Organization are important to maintain a very close dialogue. However, the primary purpose of these measures should not be to protect our agricultural interests. It should be to protect human, animal, and plant health.
In terms of defending our agricultural interests, we have a number of policies in place, including, where it's appropriate, tariff measures. Canada, like other countries, maintains these. While the vast majority of agricultural products can be imported into Canada duty free, without any tariffs, we still have some tariffs in place, as do the United States, the European Union, and other countries. This is a more predictable, transparent tool to address issues that enter more into the nature of protecting our agricultural interests.
In terms of tariff measures, their primary purpose is legitimate policy objectives, or it should in theory be that way.