I'll just pick up on Michael's earlier comment about forward-looking agreements. The supply chain is now central, so you mentioned autos, Korea, or whatever.... Hyundai put a plant in Canada. I was in Korea when we negotiated, and I predicted it would fail if they put it in Quebec, which they did, because it's outside the supply chains.
Energy, textiles, a whole bunch of things.... Europe as a union is the most integrated region, followed by Asia and then NAFTA, through these.... Walmart accounts for roughly 13% of Chinese exports. Canadian Tire has a rising number of imports from Asia. But as the Japanese firm Makita saw, it's advantageous to have parts and components from Korea and assembled in China. These firms can use Canadian know-how and technology, including auto parts, but in terms of the vehicles produced in North America, Canadian auto parts are in decline. Actually, imported auto parts are going up. There is something wrong here.
Having said that, to me it's not just trade promotion for your committee. The new link is trade and transportation. Ninety-two per cent of world trade is done on the oceans, and you need ports. And we would have four outstanding ports if we got our act together. If we could get 3% to 5% of Walmart's goods to Prince George, instead of from Long Beach, it would be bordering on 50,000 jobs, paying $100,000.
Our strength is in the North American gateway, but that's a link between the companies, the ports, the terminals, the railways, and the trucking firms. They have to start working together. The good news is—and I'm seeing a guy tomorrow—is that they are looking, for example, now, and not at Halifax, which I think is sinful, at the dwell times. When a ship arrives at Prince George or Vancouver, for example, how long does it sit there?