International Trade committee  Without a doubt it is. Free trade is exactly that. It's a bilateral exchange where they gained, and they start shipping some of their products to us, and we also do the same. So whenever—Mr. Bannantine has suggested it—you create jobs, people tend to move away from the negatives,

International Trade committee  Yes. I'll address your point directly. I disagree that we would not have any customers, because we already had the customers in place. We had the Wendy's, the Burger Kings, the KFCs, the McDonald's over there and they exist. There is sufficient consumption over there, so we—

International Trade committee  Let's say that of the total french fry trade, which is $29 million over there, the QSRs, the quick service restaurants, represent 55%. Retail represents about 15%, food service the balance. So there is a consumption over there of that product, without a doubt in my mind, but more

International Trade committee  No, they are not buying it now. I said we lost it all; because the U.S. came in in 2005, they have a 15% duty improvement over us. We've got a 15% duty, they've got zero duty. So they're not buying from us, but we know the market, and we had the market before.

International Trade committee  That's a very good point. As you know, right now we're in Ontario, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Alberta, and we depend on growth. We depend on open borders to grow our system, to increase our weight. Our management, Mr. Robert Irving, has suggested that we are now doi

International Trade committee  Yes. The reality is that if Canada completes any agreement prior to either Europe and/or the United States, it gives us tremendous advantages. Number one, you get established. You get your brand in the marketplace and you grow your brand accordingly. Once the brand is established

International Trade committee  No, the 15% duty is in Central America.

International Trade committee  Korea is actually 18%, so we're at a major disadvantage.

International Trade committee  Obviously.

International Trade committee  In Central America, actually the duty is the major factor. But you are right, you don't necessarily need to have 100% off. You're perfectly correct; what a lot of the countries do is diminish duties over a four- or five-year period. Thank goodness Canada has negotiated on our p

International Trade committee  Yes, it's immediate.

International Trade committee  Oh, yes, without a doubt. It will have a direct impact on our employment, on our farmers, on our truckers—the whole chain.

International Trade committee  One of the things we took a look at was the absolute volume that had affected us. Over the last five to seven years, it has affected us, in that market alone, by over 20 million pounds, and 20 million pounds reflects approximately $10 million.

International Trade committee  It did immediately, and you have to find markets elsewhere, so it did have an impact.

International Trade committee  You suffer.