Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I was prepared to be here for an hour, but, as you know, there was a vote. We live in a democracy and it's very important to be there for votes. I'm going to take your advice and shorten my comments to two or three minutes.
I want to point out that we are very concerned by the negotiations with the European Union. Of course, we are focusing on the most important work, that with the WTO. However, as you can understand, there are 154 countries and progress at times is not very quick.
That's why we're going to continue entering into agreements, where that's possible, or bilateral trade with other countries or regions of countries. We're going to continue doing all we can to promote the capitalization of business opportunities, particularly in view of the climate created by the global recession at a time when some countries are unfortunately adopting protectionist measures. We are opposed to that approach, and we're going to continue studying the possibility of extending free trade agreements. We've started discussions and negotiations with European Union officials. I hope they will continue.
I will point out to committee members that the Europeans said three months ago they hoped the negotiations would take less than two years. That's ambitious, but I appreciate their approach.
I am now ready to answer your questions. I assure you we are very committed to Canadian industries, and we have told the provinces that we want them to be with us during the negotiations. Representatives from certain provinces have told me they are now involved at an unprecedented level. We're going to continue that process.