We talk a lot about reciprocity with respect to environmental standards using the example of pesticides that are no longer permitted in Canada, but are permitted in other countries from which we import the same products.
When I talk about reciprocity in standards, I mean environmental standards as much as social standards. Let me come back to labour here. Keep this in mind as well: how can we compete with a country whose hourly wage is six times lower than in Canada? That is what I mean by social standards. The United States is our main competitor. However, we see that production is increasingly heading to Mexico, including with Driscoll's. There is a reason for that: the labour cost in Mexico is far less than here.
In my opening remarks, I also mentioned the importance of recognizing the producers' support and monitoring services. There is a cost to providing housing or transportation and so on. We calculated those costs at the Association: In 2023, those costs represented roughly $3.50 an hour. We indexed that amount by 4% using the consumer price index and came up with $3.62 an hour. Minimum wage plus the hourly rate of $3.62 represents, in our opinion, the cost to ensure the support and monitoring service. That is part of what we mean by reciprocity of standards.