Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, for giving I.E. Canada, the Canadian Association of Importers and Exporters, which is far too long to say, so we call ourselves I.E. Canada, the opportunity to testify this morning.
I.E. Canada is a national trade association that's been speaking on behalf of Canadian importers and exporters for almost 85 years. Next year is our 85th anniversary. Our members include importers and exporters, Canadian manufacturers that of course both import and export, wholesalers, distributors, retail importers, and supply chain service professionals.
Our membership in total employs over one million Canadians and generates $270 billion in annual revenue to contribute to the Canadian gross domestic product. We represent some of the largest importers and exporters in Canada as well as some small and medium-sized companies. Our members import all sorts of different commodities, everything from coffee beans to car parts. In fact, sitting next to me is Magna International, which is a member, and also happens, as a company, to be the chairman of the board of directors for I.E. Canada.
In brief, I.E. Canada members overall strongly support the TPP agreement. That being said, there are a few considerations that must be taken into account whenever Canada considers signing an agreement of this magnitude. It becomes even more important when you look at an agreement like TPP that has so many different economies all at once in a single agreement, especially with the likes of Japan and the United States.
In the business world, supply chains are tightly integrated. There is very little distinction, when you're in a boardroom, between an import and an export when strategizing on where supply chains are going to be positioned. Rather, companies view their supply chains as a continuous flow of materials, components, and finished goods back and forth through the supply chain until the finished goods reach the customer. It's the continuous flow of materials and goods that companies base strategic decisions on, rather than discrete import or export processes.
Traditional government policy, however, sometimes does not match that business reality. Imports and exports are generally viewed as two distinct operations when you talk about government policy, where imports are generally viewed as being bad for the economy, and exports are being viewed as good for the economy. In today's reality, an import and an export, when you're in a boardroom, is a single transaction.
That distinctive thinking, when you start getting down into the weeds about an import being bad for the economy, and an export being good for the economy, actually hurts the Canadian economy. The reality in today's integrated supply chains is that most manufacturers and most exporters cannot achieve what they need to achieve without importing at least something, some sort of material or whatever.
When private sector companies look to trade internationally, they develop integrated strategies that disregard whether an international movement is an import or an export from a policy position. They look to the end results that they're seeking to guide their decisions, and do not develop import trade strategies without considering export and vice versa.