Mr. Speaker, I am not aware that the government, at this time, is preparing a more definitive position than what we had going into these discussions earlier in the year. It is in our view that we have to protect the preferential policies that this government has in place at this time. The wide open policies were strongly sought by the federal government, in fact, at one point the federal government said this was the one element of the deal they absolutely had to have in order for a deal to be made.
It should be mentioned that the position of our government is that, as a small jurisdiction, as a developing jurisdiction, as a unique jurisdiction within Canada, we have to have exemptions. We have to have some protection for the kind of approach we take to developing our own economy, our own people, our own businesses. These are the types of exemptions we sought.
It has been the suggestion that should these constitutional amendments go through, then we will see, probably, a first Minister's conference on the economy fairly soon thereafter, at which time, if such an event takes place, it has been recommended by many of us that the Members of the Legislature should bring specific Members, who are very concerned and knowledgeable in the area of trade, goods and services and the business world, to come and assist the government in the course of these discussions. Mahsi.