I'm totally in favour of trade with Japan because it's the best possible partner we can have. Both economies are complementary and so is our agriculture. It's a win-win situation in every sense.
Ms. Sava, you deal in a very technical environment. You must know that Japanese people are very cautious and very meticulous about standards. They don't leave stuff out. They probably believe that a good sanitary system doesn't make headlines.
The beef producers will probably find out that it will be hard to sign an agreement with Japan right now because you don't want to be in the media with the stories we've heard about in the last couple of weeks. I don't think it's useful to discuss how it happened, who is responsible, or the timeline of the events. We have to keep in mind that somebody has a responsibility somewhere.
The way our country is managed has an influence on this. It would be very useful to you to be able to get the technical information you need to give to your Japanese partners. We hear the expression “red tape”, but in Japan it's not called “red tape”; it's precautions you need in order to run your country from a responsible perspective. If we cut red tape forever, we'll end up in a dead end because the government has a responsibility. Even though Maple Leaf is doing a very good job at maintaining the best production standards for their plants, they're not supposed to be the people responsible for that. Our government is responsible.
Do you think you have all the support from your government in order to trade with Japan? Do you think that closing consular services without notice in Tokyo is a good idea? Do you think it might help you in your work?