Thank you very much.
I'd like to thank all of our guests for attending today. You'll forgive me--I'm presuming that we may have a second round--but I now want to focus most of my questions with respect to our colleagues from agriculture, from the Grain Growers of Canada.
Last week the Canadian Cattlemen's Association spoke to us. Like you, they're very supportive of a free trade agreement. Also like you, our beef producers acknowledged the importance of Jordan in a number of ways. Firstly, for some of this business--and I would acknowledge, as they did, that beef producers are not exactly in the largest market at this point as compared with grain growers in some specific areas--they felt, as did you, that it was going to be a strategic opportunity. With the kind of business that exists within the Middle East, this opens a door beyond where we already are.
It's rather interesting as well, because, like you, the beef producers talked about tariffs anywhere from 10% to 28%; you're talking about 30% tariffs.
As I hear the testimony from all four of our guests today, I know that it's two different perspectives but parts of the same whole, if you will. Certainly issues relating to human rights, as my colleague opposite said earlier, we all care about. That matters to us, as does ensuring that we have agreements that respect labour conditions; it's equally important.
But lest we forget, this is also about doing good things for Canada, and I don't want us to miss that opportunity. As we look to putting this deal together, I don't want us to miss that this is good for Canada, which means it's good for our farmers from coast to coast. Whether they be from Quebec, whether they be from Ontario--from the east to the west to the north--it's important to all of our agricultural community that we put this deal together.
Sometimes I find that gets lost in this whole dialogue. While we should and we do need to show concern for other countries with whom we deal in terms of respecting the various agreements, I would say that what hasn't been mentioned today.... Although we've mentioned the labour agreement, I have not heard any mention of the environmental cooperation agreement, which is also critical. We're putting in place a rules-based system that did not exist before as we try to do trade.
So I want to come back to that point, that it's important for Canada. It's not just the folks on the other side of the negotiating table who we're trying to respect.
I'd like to get a sense from you, Mr. Phillips and Mr. Stanford, as to why, from your perspective, this is so important to the grain growers. You can broaden that out to the agricultural community, if you wish, but why is it so important? It was important enough for you to come here and provide testimony today.