Mr. Chair, I hate to upset my hon. colleague after he asked that question by saying that there is no big secret as to what was divulged or what the trade minister had said. I was not present at that meeting, so I cannot respond to that. In the past when I have spoken to the Minister of International Trade he indicated to me without hesitation that we are there to defend supply management.
We have to understand that we are one of 148 countries at those hearings. Just to explain to my colleagues across the way, there was a delegation here from New Zealand not too long ago. They met with the all-party agriculture committee which I must add for the most part works very non-politically. We do have a good committee.
At that meeting with the New Zealand delegation, I was really pleased that I was at one end and they were at the other end, because the subject of supply management came up. A gentleman from New Zealand indicated to us that it is a government sponsored agency and that there are government dollars in supply management.
I took the floor and said “Absolutely not”. This was a delegation that came to speak to the agriculture committee in Canada, uninformed or misinformed, I do not know which. When we have individuals coming from another country whom we are dealing with at negotiations and who do not understand the supply management system, we and our negotiators have a job to do. I have never had the opportunity to go to Geneva like some of my hon. colleagues across the way, but I think it is the duty of every one of us here to explain that the government has put in a framework, but there is not any government dollars in supply management. We have to understand that.
The process that needs to happen when we are over there is to certainly continue the fight that we have had with the negotiators and I do think they have done a good job, from what I hear. For those of us who go there, it is also our job to explain to other countries about supply management , and give them accurate information and not misinformation.