We see it as allying ourselves with countries that are on the same wavelength as Canada regarding free trade. What I am talking about here are countries that believe firmly in open markets. It also means raising standards together, essentially to set examples that can be applied to other bilateral or regional agreements. We are well aware that there are already free trade agreements with some current members of the Pacific Alliance, and that in terms of philosophy, those countries are already very oriented toward free trade and international trade.
In addition to setting higher standards with countries that share Canada's views, it would mean expanding the government's diplomatic involvement in a region where we are facing very strong competition with our competitors who enjoy diplomatic support from the government of the country where they are located or established. That comment applies to both rail and aerospace. Embraer, in Brazil, is a competitor we are very familiar with that is very strong in the region. That explains, in part, the limited penetration of our commercial aircraft sector.
Essentially, there are about ten of our CRJ business aircraft in operation in the region. That is very few, compared with what we see in the rest of the world. I also mentioned ATR, a French-Italian joint venture. For a number of reasons, it is very competitive in the market. It has been present for some time now.
We see this as an opportunity to get more involved in a region that represents considerable potential.