Thank you, Mr. Chair.
To our hard-working panellists, thank you for your efforts to make Canada's first free trade agreement in almost seven years and on the first transatlantic agreement for Canada.
Specifically, I want to speak to the ties we're opening up to the European market. I've had the opportunity to go with Monsieur Cardin when we met with the European Union parliamentarians. A member from Germany was the chair of the International Trade Committee for the EU last June.
Maybe you could clarify for the committee the link that EFTA has with the EU. They have an agreement on the European Economic Area, I believe it's called. How would this play for Canadian businesses if we have a good relationship with the four EFTA countries in opening up opportunities to our second largest trading bloc in the EU?