Thank you, Madam Chair, and thank you to all the witnesses for being here today.
I'd like to direct the first question to His Excellency, Mr. MacArthur.
The Philippines is a very important trading partner, and a vital economic player in the Indo-Pacific region. That's why we have been studying this motion. Just over a month ago, Minister Ng announced that she witnessed the signing of an MOU between Canada and the Philippines to establish a joint economic commission.
I'm wondering if Your Excellency can tell us what your expectations are for this joint economic commission. How do you think it will benefit small and medium-sized business?