Thank you, Mr. Chair.
To the panel here, even though the committee has its own agenda, we can set up our own priorities. Last week we talked about some of the priorities that we should be following in the coming days and weeks—the TPP, the softwood lumber agreement, our trade with the European Union. I want to gauge your feelings when it comes to the priorities.
When I was out talking to the businesses last week, almost everyone, even though they supported the TPP and said this would be a good agreement for them.... But again, coming back to British Columbia, they said the first priority is dealing with the softwood lumber agreement. That should be the priority the committee follows. Assistant Deputy Minister Hillman mentioned that the agreement expired in October 2015.
Would you be able to give us some direction on where we should be heading, if we have to pick up one or the other? What would be your priority? What would you be looking at doing first, the softwood lumber agreement or the TPP study?