Thank you, Chair, and thanks to our witnesses for being here today.
My first question is for Ailish Campbell, the vice-president of the Canadian Council of Chief Executives.
Ms. Campbell, in your opening remarks you mentioned the importance of trade when it comes to securing Canada's prosperity and growth, and also for creating jobs. Our government, obviously, agrees with this, and this is the reason we've spent so much time negotiating free trade agreements. We now have 42 countries—if you include the recent European trade agreement—included in these free trade agreements.
You also mentioned that we should be concentrating on Asia. We've opened six new trade offices in China, for example, and two new trade offices in India. We've also spent over $1 billion in the Asia-Pacific gateway infrastructure to make sure that our goods and resources can make it to market in an efficient and expeditious way. Obviously, we're on the same track in that regard.
With regard to the free trade agreement with Europe, some people have called this an historic agreement that opens up 500 million new consumers for Canadian businesses. In your opinion, what will the impact of this free trade agreement with Europe be on the Canadian economy, and what opportunities will it create for Canadian businesses?