Thank you, Mr. Chair.
My thanks to the delegations for being here today.
I'm going to ask three questions, and then I'll turn it over to the panel to answer all of the questions if you want, or part of one question, or two questions, or whatever you think is appropriate for a response, to allow everybody to give input on certain things.
The first question is an issue with regard to what Mr. Kanters brought up in terms of non-tariff barriers, and that's the issue of the border and the costs of shipping and receiving goods across the region here.
We have some of the highest costs per crossing. In fact, they're higher than in Buffalo. They're higher than in Niagara Falls. They're higher than in Sarnia. They're higher than just about everywhere else in Canada, except for one other privately owned bridge in Fort Frances. The concept being floated is that we're going to have a public–private partnership and potentially toll roads. Citigroup actually did a recent study showing that private toll rates are actually up to 35% to 40% higher than public ones. How important for all industries is it to keep border costs lower in terms of the actual cost of shipping and receiving?
Mr. Kanters, I've probably consumed several of your gelatin products over the last week, as I've been struggling with a cold.
Secondly, with regard China, are there any other hidden subsidies that China is providing, with regard to attracting investment, subsidies that we don't really hear a lot about? Does anybody have any knowledge of that?
Lastly, if we lose our industries, do you think it will affect national security? I still think it will. If we lose our manufacturing base, then we can't respond. I'd like to hear about that.
Thank you.