Thanks to Governor Poloz as well as to Mrs. Wilkins for being here today.
Governor, my first question is in regard to the following. First of all, in your opening statement you alluded to the fact that Canada posted a trade surplus in September that was much greater than expected, about $1 billion greater than expected, thanks in part to a bounce back in the auto sector, which helps to underscore the importance of the assistance our government gave to the auto sector during the recent recession.
In your speech yesterday you noted that a “sustained expansion in our exports will not only represent new demand, it will ignite the rebuilding phase of our business cycle, which...will create new supply....”
There are many contributing factors that can help spur this economic growth, one of which is a weaker Canadian dollar, and another of which is our government's low-tax plan, which has made Canada one of the top countries in the world to invest in. Another aspect is to open up new markets for Canadian companies.
In your opinion, will Canadian exporters be able to benefit from rising global growth as a result of our government's ambitious free trade plan, which has led to new trade agreements with almost 40 countries, most notably the European Union and South Korea?