Thank you so much for coming out.
One of the things Canada is clearly recognized for around the world is the standards we set. I believe that is why Canada is such a magnet in terms of negotiations for trade. We set the standards, not only in terms of quality, but in terms of food safety. I don't ever want to leave the impression that the trade agreements don't deal with food safety issues; that any trade agreement does not lower any health standard, either for food that we have in Canada, or for food that would come into Canada. Canada has one of the highest food standards in the world. Through the Ministry of Health, through PMRA and CFIA, those standards are maintained and, in fact, many countries have to enhance some of their production to meet the standards for Canada. It wasn't a hit at you; it's just that we need to make sure that somebody else doesn't read these minutes at some point and think, well, my God, our standards aren't important, when they are.
Second, as I mentioned, Canada is a magnet for trade, and that is because of the things we've talked about. When we had agriculture committee meetings prior to the previous government, we met with many of the commodity groups, agriculture organizations, and the industry. Once they talked about their issues, it was very hard to find anyone who would not be supportive. Obviously, supply management always seems to float to the top of every agreement, at least it seems to in the media. It seems to me that those countries that have walked away from supply management have changed their focus on agriculture. Supply management, in terms of its production and trade, is really about the producer providing to the consumer the best quality product at a fair price, and making sure that they have a strong industry within their country. What I am finding in some of the other countries is that now the farmer gets less to produce, the consumer pays more, and the processor gets more. I am not sure that's the article that we want to follow in terms of supply management in Canada.
I was wondering if you could help a little bit. When we talk about pork—as I know it's with beef and with the other ones—can you explain the benefits of the tariff rate quota? Not just in terms of the tariff rate but in terms of the quota, what benefit does that have, or is it a disadvantage?