Thank you very much.
It's a great discussion. I really appreciate your being able to join us on short notice. It's my first opportunity as a parliamentarian to thank all of you for the hard work you've done on behalf of Canadians and Canadian industry. We certainly do appreciate it.
You talk about how this agreement has been modernized and improved. No doubt all of us at the table will see where that has occurred in many different sectors. We also talk about how you've been able to maintain the regulatory piece that has allowed Canada to be successful on certain industry fronts, although we know there was tremendous push-back by the United States. Like every agreement, there are always going to be questions and wondering whether we could do better in certain sectors or in other sectors.
I'm going to continue on the aluminum front. When I look at the agreement, I look at it from a little different perspective than some others in the room, but certainly I understand the points that are being made. It was my understanding that there were about 230 or more tariffs on aluminum going into the United States, and you guys were able to successfully negotiate those tariffs away. I'd like to know what that actually means for the industry in Canada. Surely it must mean an opportunity to grow the aluminum industry and to be able to see those sales increase, not decrease.
I know you responded to my colleague with regard to the guarantee that 70% of that aluminum would be in North America. His question regarding Mexico and the import from China is a very important one. I would like to know, even with that 70% guarantee, if there is any provision within the agreement that would allow Canada to maximize our productivity on aluminum and the use of aluminum under that agreement from where it is today going forward.
While it may not be the 100% that we were looking for or it may not have the origin as specific as we were looking for, do you see how it's going to project further growth and further opportunity in Quebec and in Canada by that account because of those two particular changes in the agreement?