Thank you, Mr. Chair.
First of all, I do want to thank the witnesses for being here, but I will point out that we have two hours to hear from two witnesses. Therefore, I don't think it's unreasonable to take a few minutes to deal with this issue, especially since we heard today that the TPP discussions seem to be moving quickly.
Second of all, it was said that the committee should not study the matter because negotiations are in progress, but if we wait until they are over, it will be too late. By the way, the department was in the midst of extensive consultations on Canada's food policy when the committee decided to undertake its own consultations on the same subject, at the same time. That didn't factor into our decision. It didn't prevent the committee from undertaking its own study. As far as I know, the committee makes its own decisions. It does not have to wait for instructions from the government or the minister's office. Unless I'm mistaken, the committee is entirely independent.
Consequently, we can choose to conduct this study and to give Canadian producers and agrifood industry stakeholders the opportunity to tell us what they think. We can also choose not to hear from them. It's in your hands, since there are more of you. Clearly, if you choose to give witnesses and producers the opportunity to speak, we will hear from them, but if you don't, we will not.
That's all we have to say on the matter.