Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thanks to our witnesses.
Given the train of thought that you were just beginning to follow, Mr. Sinclair, then to me it would make sense that the issue I think we're talking about here is reciprocity, and we didn't have reciprocity. We were at a disadvantage, and a very serious disadvantage, vis-à-vis our American competitors. Given what you just said, it would make sense, then, that if we follow that through to fruition, it would actually make our case even stronger, that now that the Americans have opened up procurement, we've opened up our procurement.
By the way, the provinces have been solidly onside here to open up procurement. They didn't come kicking and screaming to the table here. They were leading the way to the table. Then it would make a lot of sense that we have made major headway and we're positioned for the Main Street program, or any other Buy American type of program that comes out, to negotiate an end to those.
We're not going to do it by simply saying we've been hard done by. The Americans don't hear that; they don't pay attention to it. The protectionist measures you've been espousing, quite frankly, frighten me. Worse yet, I think it puts us at loggerheads with Americans, who are tough negotiators. They've always been tough negotiators. We know that.
But if you follow that through and we're able to open up the marketplace, what would you think of the deal then? And I mean open it up in future programs.