Mr. Speaker, yesterday I returned from a 10-day trade mission in South America, visiting the countries referred to in the question. It was a most successful trade mission, particularly because it not only involved representatives of the Government of Canada but also representatives of three provinces, Quebec, Alberta and Saskatchewan, plus representatives of close to 30 leaders of Canadian farm organizations and Canadian agri-businesses. It was truly in the spirit of Team Canada referred to by the Prime Minister.
There were some specific transactions concluded by the business delegation during the course of the trip. A foundation was laid for many more transactions in the future. We made progress on issues such as trade-distorting export subsidies and vital sanitary procedures.
We discussed Chile's succession to the NAFTA as the fourth amigo. We were expanding Canada's trade horizons with respect to grain, pulse crops, alfalfa, livestock, meat, animal genetics, agriculture technology, processed foods and agricultural equipment and machinery.