Thank you, Chair, and thank you, Mr. Simard.
Mr. Fairholm, there is an emerging concern, which I think all of us are watching, about the intensity of commodity prices, particularly in developing nations, which continue to see stable and increasing prices of commodities—commodities that Canada, of course, can sell in large volumes, thereby propping up or continuing the upward pressure on the value of the Canadian dollar, while at the same time the consequences of this rise for the agricultural and manufacturing sectors are becoming self-evident.
How long do you think the two economies that we're seeing will continue, one being led by commodities because the emerging nations are not seeing the slowdown or reduction in demand in the United States for manufacturers' prices?
I don't have a crystal ball in front of me, but it seems to me that if Asia and other parts of the world are going to continue to purchase and show an unabated desire for our commodities, prices for our commodities are going to remain firm and high, as will the Canadian dollar, while other sectors of the economy, particularly in manufacturing, are going to be hurt.
Have you given any thought to that dichotomy or economic conundrum?