Good afternoon, everyone.
Welcome, Minister. Thank you for taking this opportunity to come to us so soon after our request. Welcome to your new portfolio. You have a lot on your plate and thank you for coming here right after being sworn in. As you may know, our committee is one of the most active, vibrant committees on the Hill. We've been very busy over the the last year dealing with three agreements: the European, the Ukrainian, and the TPP. We did a nationwide consultation on that. We are also dealing with softwood lumber and the steel industry, so we have our hands full but we have a committee that works very well and we get the job done.
I can speak on behalf of the members here when I say that many times when we have been consulting with stakeholders or the community at large, something that has come up usually every day is the question of how small and medium-sized businesses can take advantage of some of these new trade agreements.
It's very good that you are here. I think our session with you today will involve having information going back and forth so that our committee can also enlighten you and tell you what we've been hearing out there so you can go forward and help these small and medium-sized businesses take advantage of these trade agreements that we're embarking on.
Without further ado, Minister, you have the floor.