The market access secretariat has two core responsibilities.
First, within the Department of Agriculture and Agri-Food, the secretariat is in charge of bilateral agriculture trade relations with our various markets. We have teams that work on European, Asian, and North and South American files. Second, the secretariat provides international market development support for agricultural, agrifood, and seafood products. With respect to market development, the department is responsible for promoting international trade in relation to seafood products. To that end, the department has an international trade commissioner service, overseen by the market access secretariat. Thirty-six agriculture and food trade commissioners are present in 15 priority markets around the world.
In addition to the efforts of these dedicated agriculture trade commissioners, some 100 Canadian diplomats at Global Affairs Canada are either wholly or partly responsible for promoting our agricultural interests. Those are the traditional core roles of the market access secretariat.
At industry's request, a new component has emerged in recent years. In the event of market access problems—whether due to non-tariff barriers or access to new or existing markets—the market access secretariat is now able to provide a swift solution. The secretariat has the ability to coordinate efforts with partners inside the department, regulatory experts at the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, and partners at Global Affairs Canada in order to provide a timely response.