There are numerous products that are subject to supply management but there are many others that... Some of our members want free trade agreements such as these to open new markets. There is a lot of innovation in the agrifood sector, in Quebec and elsewhere in Canada. Businesses are a bit disappointed that the agrifood debate is dominated by sectors that are subject to supply management. I'm not saying that we have to set supply management aside, but I believe that the overview of the agrifood sector is much more complicated than the media would have us believe.
When it comes time to review the Free Trade Agreement and specific provisions for these two sectors or other sectors, our association has always advocated for greater openness in markets for industrial products and Canadian goods and services exported abroad. However, there has to be equal footing for everyone. The two sectors that I mentioned, shipbuilding and agricultural products, do not really exist in a free market, in every corner of the world. The agricultural sector is hugely subsidized. The shipbuilding sector is perhaps even more complicated.
On the one hand, we cannot take these two sectors and decide not to open our markets because certain sectors of our economy are perhaps not ready to face competition, or are in a good position to develop these markets. On the other hand, we have to reassure these industries that the business climate in Canada and Quebec is good, and that they will be able to compete in the same environment as their foreign competitors. This applies just as much to the shipbuilding sector as it does to the agrifood production sector; in addition to other sectors such as steel, and ones that were not mentioned. These are subject to a high degree of protectionism.