I agree fully on the importance of FIPAs and on EDC, which has been given an importantly improved mandate in this recent budget. I think that's all very good.
You mentioned free trade agreements. These things take an awful lot of time, but they're worthwhile when we get them. In terms of mining supply and the need for free trade agreements, it's not a very important matter. Canada has very few tariff barriers to the importation of goods and there's a high degree of import penetration into this country of mining equipment and so on.
When we go around the world trying to sell, yes, there are tariff barriers and non-tariff barriers that we would like to see reduced. Generally speaking, Canadians are pretty competitive in most of these things, and I can't claim that it's a great barrier.
There is a more important thing, and I think the government is overlooking it in terms of cutting its budgets at the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, where it seems budgetary compressions are going on continually. The Canadian Trade Commissioner Service around the world is understaffed. They're underfunded. We don't have a sectoral approach to try to get companies out and about around the world in a sector where we are very well known.
The Americans are the world's policemen. Canadians are the world's miners. We should have a better national approach to export marketing in this sector.