Welcome, gentlemen, and welcome to anybody who has joined our proceedings for the House of Commons trade committee.
Our main focus and the study we're right in the middle of right now is the TPP, which is a big agreement amongst 12 countries. Forty per cent of the GDP is there, and there are 800 million consumers. I think it's a deal that affects all Canadians in various ways. There's a lot of interest, and that's why our committee is doing consultations right across the country.
We've been in every province and in communication with the territories. We've had over 200 briefs, witnesses and, of course, many individual Canadians want their input. We've had over 20,000 emails.
We're going to continue to do this up until the end of October, and after that we're going to put our study together. Then we'll present it later on in the year, or maybe at the start of the following year, to the House of Commons.
Trade is big for Canada, as you know, and especially with all the concerns down in the United States with their election, trade is a big topic.
Our committee also deals with other issues. We have a trade agreement with Europe that's being completed, and we also have issues ongoing with our big trade partner with softwood lumber, as well as some agriculture issues.
Our committee comprises members from right across the country, so we have good representation on the committee side.
We're going to start with Mr. Burke, a friend and a neighbour of mine from Cape Breton, who handles a lot of fish products.
It's good to see you here, sir. You have the floor.