Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Thank you, Mr. Minister, for being with us. My notes indicate you were last at the committee on March 13, 2012. That's almost 14 months ago, so in my opinion, you're long overdue to be here. We thank you for making the time.
Mr. Minister, as you know, economic growth in 2012 failed to meet the Bank of Canada's projections. Bank of Canada Governor Mark Carney said that one of the greatest contributors to this failure was, in his words, “weak exports”. In addition, in an analysis published last month, CIBC economist Benjamin Tal concluded, and I'll quote him as well: ““Regardless of how you look at it, this was a lost decade for Canadian exports.”
Mr. Minister, why has Canada's export performance been so disappointing?