We have always been very close to the negotiators. It is also every group’s responsibility to become involved and to invite the negotiators to provide information on the status of the negotiations. It is everyone’s responsibility.
Another element is at play in import control. This is this reciprocity of standards. More and more, Canadians have societal requirements. They are in areas like animal welfare, the environment, the workers, the minimum wage, and so on. We do not impose any reciprocity of our societal norms on the products we import. That makes things more and more difficult.
Take milk-fed veal, for example. Under the agreement with Europe, Canada is going to import more meat from Europe. The Dutch are very big in milk-fed veal. They have already opened offices in Montreal. The same calf in Canada costs $150 in order to be competitive with the Dutch in our market, especially the American market. However, the Dutch have access to antibiotics that are banned in Canada and they continue to use them. But we are going to import that veal as if there were no issue.
I could give you other examples. There is American pork coming into our market. There are also strawberries from California where they use fungicides that are prohibited here. This is all going to be providing competition in our markets. There really is a problem with the reciprocity of standards, and we are not even talking about animal welfare, and things like that.
I am asking the committee to look into this matter because it is really important.