I have in fact noted Canada's desire to negotiate a certain number of bilateral agreements with countries that are much smaller and less important to Canada in terms of trade. I believe that is related to the fact that our neighbour and main partner began to do that before we did. I believe that people have appeared before you to provide testimony on that. If the United States signs a free trade agreement with Costa Rica which favours their exporters over our own, our exporters will be at a disadvantage if we don't do the same thing. There is no doubt about that.
However, I do not see these agreements as the culmination of an in-depth analysis of our real needs. In my opinion, Canada's view is that if the United States are doing this, then it has no choice but to do the same. There in something inevitable about all of this, and that is unfortunate. Indeed, I believe, and others also believe, that it would be far better to turn our energies towards ensuring a successful conclusion to the Doha Round at the WTO. That would be far more advantageous for everyone. But, as you can see, things are somewhat different in the real world.
Having said that, I believe our international exports to the United States, which rose considerably following the conclusion of the Free Trade Agreement, are now going down. There have been a number of articles in the newspapers about that, but the fact is that few people have even noticed. Our international exports to the United States had risen to almost 86 or 87%. It is difficult to imagine their going much further than that. Now the rate has dropped to about 81 or 82%. It is also worth noting that prior to the Free Trade Agreement, they were at 78 or 79%. So, this is really a kind of realignment.
I think that is most certainly due in part to what my colleague mentioned—in other words, the fact that the border is becoming thicker, primarily for security reasons. However, that is not the only reason. I believe there are other factors at play, including the fact that Asia is a rising power. That reality is causing a realignment everywhere, and in many different ways.
As for consultations with the provinces, I believe they are occurring. But there again—and this goes back to the point made earlier by Mr. Dymond, that I fully agree with—the real issue is not the fact that some groups are opposed, but rather, that there is a lack of support from the business community at large, which is preventing these agreements from going forward, even though they are probably advisable in the real world of which we are a part.