International Trade committee  That's an excellent question. Australia and Japan nearly lost their entire battery recycling industries because, essentially, brokers were buying the batteries and selling them to these lower jurisdictions. The way it is implemented, because batteries are hazardous waste, you must have an export permit to export them.

International Trade committee  I don't know the answer to that. I know that, in the Canadian process, when we apply for an export permit, it takes maybe two to three months from the time we file to when it's granted.

International Trade committee  Yes, it's fine. It would be nicer if it were shorter, but it's a year-long permit, so I think two or three months is fine to then have a year-long permit.

International Trade committee  Yes. I'd be happy to show you a video of it as well, if you'd like. What happens is that the last batteries that don't get recycled properly get recycled informally. These are pop-up battery recycling operations in sheds in developing countries. The video I would show you comes from Dhaka, Bangladesh.

International Trade committee  Sure. The reason batteries are exported out of North America is that we keep closing plants. They were originally built in cities back before we knew that lead was hazardous. It was only found to be hazardous in the 1970s, when we found out that it was poisoning playgrounds and schools and things like that.

International Trade committee  Thank you, Madam Chair. First, I'll provide a little background on myself. I'm originally from Detroit. My profession is growing industrial companies into global markets. I have led a construction tool business in Belgium, a medical device company in Sweden and an automotive test manufacturer in Seattle.