Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you very much for coming here today. We may agree with some of your comments and disagree with others, but the presentations were uniformly excellent. We appreciate the time you're taking.
Let me get back to the issue of overall benefits. What we've seen in Canada since we started the free trade regime in 1989 is that 80% of Canadian families, the bottom 80%, have actually seen their income go down. In terms of real income it has declined for 80% of Canadian families, and the phenomenon we've seen in Canada is that incomes in the top 20% of income levels have skyrocketed. Overall, folks may say that average income has increased, but what we've actually seen is an increasing gap between the very wealthy and the rest of Canadians.
My first question is, in your countries is that a concern? Have you seen, for the lowest 20% or the second lowest 20% of the population, real income decline? This took place in Canada at the same time as overtime increased by more than 33%. What we're seeing is that most Canadians are working longer hours and are actually getting less back.
The question around good jobs is an important one. Have you seen that same dynamic in each of your countries? If so, what kinds of mechanisms have you put in place to try to adjust for it, or to put in place a safety net?
My second question arises from Mr. Wild's comments on the concentration of Swiss exports to the European Community. You said that 60% of your exports go to the European Union. The dynamic is the same for Canada: 86% of our exports go to the American market. Yet, this market is often closed to exports, for instance, in softwood lumber and other sectors.
My question is for all the witnesses. Have you developed strategies to diversify your current exports, to avoid putting all your eggs in one basket?