Good afternoon.
I'd like to thank the members of the committee for inviting us to take part in this study.
The Canadian Agri‑Food Trade Alliance, or CAFTA, is a coalition of national organizations that advocate for a freer and fairer international trade environment for the agriculture and agri‑food sector.
CAFTA's members include growers, ranchers, farmers, processors, producers and exporters from key trade sectors such as beef, pork, grains, oilseeds, sugar, pulses and soybeans.
As I said, CAFTA works for a fair and open international trade environment. This is in our country's economic interest and in our national security interest with respect to making an important contribution to international peace and stability.
Economically speaking, agri-food is responsible for one in nine jobs in Canada, the majority of which are in export-based agri-food. In 2022 Canada exported nearly $92.8 billion in agriculture and food products, including raw agricultural materials, fish and seafood and processed foods. More than half of our agricultural production is exported or processed to be exported.