In the spirit of debunking hoggle-swap, what I have to say here is this. Every time we've had someone at this end of the table talk to us about their issues relating to their growth opportunities—in forest products, wheat, lentils, mining, and I could go on—I can tell you that we get all the great responses that you've just given us. Yet I hear members opposite...perhaps one in particular who comes back and says, you know, our trade deals aren't working.
Some people forget, gentlemen, that we've been through a large international recession, and Canada has done phenomenally well. In fact, I need to quote and put on the record, because I get so frustrated, about the four countries that we've cited that we're dealing with. With Mexico, we have a merchandise trade growth since 2009 of some $600 million going up to 2012; on service trade, another $14 million. With Peru, a small country, we've had $20 million in merchandise trade growth. With the United States, just for fun, in the first 15 years of the free trade agreement—when folks like the members opposite say that our trade deal isn't working—in terms of our exports, not our two-way trade, Canada experienced some $254 billion in growth.
I have to tell you that this does not happen by accident. It happens because of your entrepreneurialism and because we set the terms of reference so that you can grow and you can prosper within your dynamics.
I have a question for you about transparency. Here's the issue I have about transparency. I have friends opposite who have both claimed that it's too secret. That was their lead comment. Here's my question for you. My personal view is that politics are done in public but negotiations are done in secret.
Have you ever had a deal that you've had to do and you didn't want to tell anybody, in your dealings, so you kept it kind of quiet—either of you?
Sorry: you can't just nod. They can't....