Thank you, Mr. Chair.
My name is Mathias Hartpence. I am a director of international policy at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce. I am joined by Milos Barutciski, a partner specializing in trade and competition law at Bennett Jones, who also serves as co-chair of the international affairs committee of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce.
I wanted to thank this committee for inviting us to take part in your consultations on the Canada-EU negotiations.
The Canadian Chamber represents nearly 200,000 businesses of all sectors, sizes, and regions of Canada, everything from mom-and-pop shops to the largest enterprises that power the Canadian economy. With an eclectic stakeholder base such as that, it may come as a surprise to some that we are able to come up with a consensus position and a unified position on the CETA, yet we are.
Canadian businesses in the resources, agrifood, services, and manufacturing sectors have been working hard to supplement their trade and investment with the United States, where their competiveness has been increasingly challenged over the past decade, by accessing opportunities in other markets. Official trade statistics corroborate this.
The 2008 financial and subsequent real economic crises, which dampened U.S. private demand, have made Canadian companies' ability to secure real, level-playing-field market access in other jurisdictions all the more pressing.
In view of that, we have pleaded for a successful wrap-up of the Doha Round negotiations in order to dismantle tariff barriers and other obstacles to Canadian exporters.
Unfortunately, the Doha Round has likely come to an end as a global trade agreement. At the same time as the Doha process, the last decade, the last five years in particular, has witnessed a global proliferation of preferential trade agreements negotiated by WTO members on a bilateral and regional basis.
This has made it imperative for Canada to pursue solid trade and investment agreements of its own with key partners. Without them, Canadian companies would risk losing market share abroad to competitors benefiting from preferential access. But more than that, by pursuing high-quality trade and investment agreements, Canada can not only enhance real market access for its goods and services exporters and investors operating abroad, but it can also help consolidate high-standard norms for level and open commerce among nations, the very norms upon which Canadian businesses depend.
Thank you. I will turn it over to Milos.