Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
We are obviously pleased to be here to talk about a subject that concerns us.
The Montreal Port Authority has some 275 employees, and we believe that fighting crime is part of our social responsibility.
You can imagine that if Montreal is an important port in Canada, it is first and foremost because it is used to import essential goods and export the best we have to offer, and not to export proceeds of crime. Annually, the Port of Montreal receives and exports approximately 36 million tonnes of goods worth $151 billion. This represents 3.5% of Canada's gross domestic product.
It is important to know that these goods are transported in 1.7 million containers. These containers pass through the port and sometimes stay there for two or three days. So the port, like all other Canadian port authorities, is primarily a freight-transit site. No containers are filled on site and all containers that pass through have been previously sealed.
Of course, Montreal is often mentioned in connection with the export of vehicles. There are essentially two reasons for this: We are very close to the major urban centres of Quebec and Ontario, but we are also the main container port for supplying markets in Africa or the Middle East. According to Interpol, these two markets are among the destinations for these stolen vehicles.
Obviously, we do not work alone. Our responsibility is limited, but we work in collaboration with our partners. That is why the investments that have been recently announced in the Canada Border Services Agency, not to mention the renewed collaboration with our police partners, allow us not only to improve security, but also to assume our responsibilities.
Finally, I want to say that we do not want to stop there. We want to do more. That is why we are very pleased to take part in the committee's discussions today.
I now give the floor to Mr. Bergeron.