That certainly sounds like an accurate quotation. I did say that at the end of the day, the government has to determine whether this deal is good for the average Canadian worker and Prime Minister Trudeau has used the same words.
The government is open to freer trade and open borders. In that respect, we have some affinity with China. President Xi Jinping's speech in Davos was along similar lines.
In principle, we support free trade agreements and open borders, but not all Canadians are there. I think the government would only wish to pursue a free trade agreement if we believed that it was good for the average Canadian worker and that, therefore, we would be able to persuade Canadians that this was a good thing. The government has not yet come to a final determination on that. Exploratory talks are still going on. Consultations with industry are still happening.
You can go along two tracks. Free trade exploratory talks are going on and that's good, but at the same time, independent of that, we are pursuing initiatives in tourism, agri-food, forest products, clean tech, and other areas. Not everything waits until the free trade situation is settled. We are simultaneously proceeding in areas that are really important for Canada, and more importantly, really important for Canadian jobs. I think that the more we can produce arrangements with China—like in tourism but also in other areas—that clearly create Canadian jobs, the more open Canadians will be towards closer ties with China.