Yes, and the FTA as well. You mentioned the debate. The significant concern that so many Canadians had was that by trading more with each other, we would become each other; we would sell our culture as opposed to cultural products. The surveying that's been done since then shows that culturally we diverged in terms of our values since the free trade agreement 20 years ago. I think Canadians are much more confident in their identity and in their sovereignty than perhaps they were 20 years ago, and they recognize that doing business with one another as mature partners is an expression of sovereignty; it's not a threat to sovereignty. If isolation were the definition of sovereignty, then North Korea would be the most sovereign nation on earth. It's not. It's just one of the poorest.
On May 5th, 2009. See this statement in context.