Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for his question and for a very successful trade outreach mission in Mississauga last week.
The fact is that commodities as a percentage of our exports have fallen from 60% in 1988 to just 32% in 1998. All in all, we Canadians export 43% of what we produce, up from 25% just ten years ago.
Canada exports high technology, manufactured goods, services and value added products. Trade is vital for Canada.