Thank you very much.
I'd like to thank our guests for attending today.
I had the unique opportunity back in June 2009 to travel to Brazil with this committee to see first hand its vastness. It's an incredible country, and for those who have not yet had the opportunity, I encourage you to go.
We talk about emerging nations. Frankly, Brazil has emerged. To me there's no question about that. It has challenges, including some severe challenges, but as an economic powerhouse it has clearly emerged. I think that some of the statistics you provided, Mr. Reeder, support this comment that it is a country that has emerged.
Having said that, it has its challenges, in terms of the huge poverty that is obviously still there. They have some very big differences between the well off and the not well off. It would strike me that having a good middle class would not hurt them at all. It's certainly not for me to tell them about their affairs, but that would concern us all, that is, their huge poverty levels.
I've always believed--and this is part of my passion for being on this trade committee--that if you want to increase lifestyles and standards of living you trade with them, you give people opportunities, you develop a middle class through that process.
I'd like to carry on from some of Mr. Chisholm's comments and perhaps some of Mr. Keddy's.
I'm not sure if this is a question for you, Mr. Reeder, or Mr. McDougall, but in terms of the prospects of a Mercosur FTA, when I was there two years ago, it struck me that the prospect of having an agreement with Mercosur was going to be very challenging. It wouldn't stop us from doing a variety of side agreements and various agreements that you've cited, Mr. Reeder, but I'm wondering from an end-game standpoint—and you can put a date on the end, if you wish—if you see this as fulfilling.... When thePrime Minister was there and we signed a number of agreements, I am not sure if the end-game is just to fulfill those various agreements? Were these signed with the notion in mind that at some point a connection or a more formal FTA with Mercosur is possible?
I'll stop there and allow you to respond, please.