No, I appreciate that. I just wanted your opinion on whether you felt other stakeholders were maybe being excluded from the executive-level process and should be included. I know the onus is on government to incorporate them into it, but I wanted to get your perspective on that.
Because I have limited time, I am going to proceed with my next set of questions, which has to do with an issue you raised.
Mr. Sosnow, you never mentioned this in your presentation, but I believe Mr. Stewart-Patterson did, with respect to our natural resources, specifically the issue of water distribution.
I travelled abroad with the minister to the Cairns Group discussions and had an opportunity to meet with countries, especially Pakistan and India. I asked them how they viewed Canada and what our competitive advantage was. Consistently, or across the board, in every discussion I had, they always said we were a country of natural resources, full stop. We've done a very poor job of branding ourselves outside of North America. And my concern in North America is that many lawmakers and individuals in the United States view us simply as a country of natural resources as well. I think we have to be very cognizant and mindful of that.
There's been some concern—it was written about today as well—with respect to water supply, water consumption, and water transfer and distribution. What assurances can you give us to make sure this is a competitive advantage that we have as a nation? This is a public good and something that is important to our future prosperity and future generations to come. What assurances can you give us in committee on how that very precious commodity will be protected in our best interests when those discussions take place—and I believe they will start tomorrow?
There's no doubt in my mind that if China and India are looking at our natural resources, it's almost certain the United States and Mexico are as well. I just want your opinion on that.