Thank you, Mr. Chair and members of the committee. It is an honour for us to appear before you to discuss the importance of TPP to canola farmers.
My name is Janelle Whitley, and I am with the Canadian Canola Growers Association. CCGA is the national association of canola growers, representing 43,000 canola farmers from Ontario to British Columbia on issues and policies that impact their livelihood.
The canola sector is highly trade-dependent: 90% of what is grown in Canada is exported. Free trade agreements like the TPP are critical to our long-term competitiveness. The TPP is home to both our largest customers for canola but also our largest competitors. In 2015 canola exports were valued at $8.9 billion, and $5.3 billion, or some 60% of the total value, came from TPP markets. The tariff reductions secured under the TPP are expected to boost demand for canola, increasing canola's $19.3-billion contribution to the Canadian economy and the 250,000 Canadian jobs it creates.
The TPP offers four main benefits: new market opportunities for canola through tariff reduction, retention of our competitiveness vis-à-vis our primary competitors, new provisions to improve the trade of biotech products, and the ability to capitalize on any expansion of the TPP footprint.
Greg will further break these down.