All kidding aside, the Canada West Foundation was created 50 years ago for moments much like today to ensure that the west has a voice in affairs that shape the country, but more to assure that the west can contribute to creating a strong and prosperous Canada. A strong west is a strong Canada, and nowhere is that more evident than in our relations with Asia.
We've been through some difficult times, the west and the country. We are in some now, but we continue to work towards that vision of a strong west in a strong Canada. Given what's happened today, we just hope that the rest of the country will continue to respond and to reach out to us.
On Asia and engagement, we have three points today for the committee.
Asia and Canada's engagement has been a focus for the Canada West Foundation. We carried out modelling—economic impact assessments—that members in another committee asked that the government do, so that Parliament could actually have data, intelligence and information to understand trade agreements. We did it for the CPTPP in advance of the government's doing it.
That information was critical for the committee to understand. It was critical for the country to have the data, to understand and to keep the country and the government from making the calamitous mistake of walking away from the TPP agreement. Given the way our relations with the U.S. and our relations with China have gone, it's easy to see not just how prescient but how important that sort of information was.
We have three points for the committee, and we hope these will guide your thinking going forward and guide your questioning of other witnesses.
The first is that Canada's relation with China flows through the west. The west is the centre and the focus of our engagement with China. Yes, other parts of the country are involved, but it is in the west that the rubber meets the road. It is the west that is implicated immediately, in ways that other parts of the country aren't.
Second, agriculture is a key part of this relationship. The data that you have before you, which my colleague will walk you through, shows this.
Third, agriculture may offer an idea of what the solution is or how we begin to build on re-engagement.
It may facilitate the renewal of this relationship at the appropriate time.
It is how we can potentially re-engage when the time is right.
I will now turn it over to my colleague, our trade policy economist, to walk us through some of the data.