Good morning, everyone.
Ms. Barlow, I listened to your statements with regard to water. You know that at the present time the issue of obtaining water is on the agenda of certain American states, as you mentioned. As far as we are concerned, we have water. A meeting with the government will be held in Calgary in the near future to discuss the problem surrounding water.
First of all, in your opinion, where do negotiations stand regarding the possible sale of bulk water?
Secondly, with regard to the Canadian Council of Chief Executives and the security and prosperity partnership, last week we met with some individuals who told us that one of their objectives was to slightly harmonize the healthcare and social systems in all three countries. However, several of the member enterprises involved with the security and prosperity partnership have interests in the three countries. They are multinationals.
From that perspective, how can they defend the interests of Canada and Quebec, while at the same time trying to further harmonize the healthcare systems and the rest?
My third question involves dependency.
In your report, you spoke of—and the others may also comment a little on these statements—of our major dependency on American exports. At the present time, some industries are more vulnerable than others, such as agriculture, the manufacturing sector, especially the furniture sector, and softer sectors such as textiles. For example, in the furniture sector there are a lot of exports from the United States. There seems to be a tendency to continue that way, even though other more distant markets would be accessible. It seems that our immediate reaction is to turn even more toward the United States because it is a habit, a way of doing things.
Could you provide some explanation for this? Why are we still hesitant to turn toward other export sources? Why do we continue free trade with the United States without looking any farther? Do we have trouble entering into bilateral agreements with other countries?