Thank you, Madam Chair.
This is a quite interesting discussion. As I'll keep repeating, in Canada we are prosperous because of trade. Trade, especially international trade, makes up 62% to 65% of our GDP. Though Canadian farmers are numerically small in number, forming a small part of our population of 39 million, their excellent exports have placed Canada fifth in worldwide exports of agriculture and agri-food products. I think we should all be proud of that fact.
I am quite surprised that the Canadian Federation of Agriculture, which I thought was supposed to represent the interest of all farmers.... But I'm so glad that we have organizations like CAFTA, which represents Pulse Canada, the Canola Council, Grain Growers of Canada, the Canadian Pork Council, Cereals Canada and the Canadian Cattle Association. The members of these organizations work hard to export Canadian products across the world.
We have access through free trade agreements to 51 countries. Currently we are negotiating a free trade agreement in the Asia-Pacific region. As you know, outside of China, the Asia-Pacific region is a growing market. The population is growing there. The economies are growing there. That's a growing market for Canadian exports. Among those countries, we are currently negotiating a preliminary free trade deal with India, and with Indonesia, the third most populous country in the Asia-Pacific region, and possibly the fifth most populous in the world.
Now, with this legislation, we are tying the hands of our negotiators and giving a tool to the negotiators from India, Indonesia and other countries. We are handing them a tool through which they can limit Canadian exports and free trade agreement rules that would be beneficial to Canada.
I think, Madam Chair, when you study different bills, different studies, etc., there'll be one witness who comes out with a very important statement. I think here it was by Mr. James Bekkering, a farmer himself, of the National Cattle Feeders' Association, who said this bill pits “Canadian farmer against Canadian farmer, neighbour against neighbour”. I think that's absolutely right.
Ms. Noble mentioned that this bill has limited benefits for the supply management sector, but will cause a significant loss to most of the agricultural sector's exports.
Ms. Noble, I don't think your members are directly exporting to the Asia-Pacific region, but at the end of the day, you understand the significance of the Asia-Pacific markets and the free trade agreement negotiations that are going on there.
Do you agree with me that this bill, if passed, will provide a tool to the negotiators from India and Indonesia to bring down access to, or to offer fewer concessions to open, their markets to Canadian exports to their countries?