Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Members of the committee, I would like to give a brief introduction to the name of the Desjardins Group. First, I want to thank you for the invitation. It is much appreciated.
My name is Bernard Brun. I am the Director of Government Relations for the Desjardins Group, which is a cooperative financial group. It is the leading financial cooperative group in Canada, and the fifth largest in the world. It has 7 million clients.
We offer a full range of financial services, from basic financial services and insurance to access to capital and, of course, financing services. We are a leading actor.
Desjardins is the leading financial group in the agriculture and agri-food sector. We would particularly like to discuss this field and the potential impacts of the free trade agreement on the agriculture and agri-food market.
Alain Gagnon, who is Vice-President, Agriculture and Agri-Food Sectors Division, is with me today. He will talk to you more specifically about this subject.