The complaint frequently heard by Canadians that the American process to re-open the border amounted to a stealth form of protectionism is not borne out by the record.

There are good prospects that in 2006, the U.S. will propose a rule to open the border to Canadian cattle and beef over 30 months, effectively bringing the market back to its free, transparent and competitive position.

The fact that nearly half a million cattle under 30 months were exported to the US in the second half of 2005 suggests that the Canadian-American trade in cattle and beef will likely return to its high levels before the BSE crisis struck.

Free trade has been very good for the Canadian industry. Canada and the United States had established a free, transparent, and competitive market in beef and live cattle.

This was a counter-weight to the steep rise of prices we might expect due to the lack of feathers. Still, in 30 years the price for a box of 12 shuttles has doubled.

In Japan, for example, 10 million people play badminton. Annually one might need 12 shuttles per person.