Thank you for this invitation, Madam Chair.
I would also like to thank the committee members for their work on this issue.
My name is René Roy, and I am the chair of the Canadian Pork Council. Joining me is Stephen Heckbert, our executive director.
As the third-largest pork exporter in the world, free and fair trade policies are of the utmost importance to the prosperity and vitality of the Canadian pork industry. As you may know, Canada exports 70% of its pork production to almost 80 countries around the world. We are believers in and supporters of free and fair trade in a rules-based system. That is why we are pleased to have been consulted on this question.
There have been many significant shocks to the international trading system. A rules-based system—notably, science- and evidence-based rules—is a remedy to such uncertainty and increases food security for the world.
In our view, Canada must remain a strong advocate for a rules-based international trade and investment system, but we must also demand the same from our trading partners. For example, we have a TRQ with Great Britain as part of our ongoing efforts to increase trade with that country, but rules related to animal production and processing that the U.K. has put in place prevent us from accessing this market. Those rules are not science-based, nor are they reciprocated, from a Canadian perspective.
There are other cases, like the CETA. The pork industry does not view that agreement positively because of technical barriers to trade. We estimate that the pork sector alone is losing a market opportunity of about $400 million annually. That is why we urge the committee to be vigilant to ensure that the science-based principles that govern our trade are protected.
All of the long-term projections for global demand for pork paint a picture of growth well into the future. Canada's ability to provide quality pork to the rest of the world will be part of our contribution to the growth of Canada's economy.
Where we could benefit from help from this Parliament is in the efforts to expand our processing capability in Canada, whether that is in helping existing processors to expand their capacity or by encouraging new entrants into the industry from overseas for Canada pork production to grow. We must also grow processing capacity, so efforts to seek foreign direct investment in agri-food facilities are something we invite this committee to explore.
We hope that the committee continues to ensure that food security is a key part of our trade and defence positioning as it reviews this and all trade-related files as part of its mandate.
We are happy to answer any questions you may have.