Evidence of meeting #5 for International Trade in the 41st Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was negotiations.
A recording is available from Parliament.
12:05 p.m.
Conservative
12:05 p.m.
Liberal
Wayne Easter Liberal Malpeque, PE
Mr. Chair, we can talk to the chief negotiator and the deputy negotiator on the CETA agreement, but as the minister said in his own remarks, we can't neglect our relationships with our biggest and most established trading partner, the United States, and it is the minister who's here.
The trade department's own analysis shows that where the United States market accounted for 74.9% of Canadian merchandise exports in 2010, by 2040 the U.S. share of Canadian exports is expected to be 75.5%. So while I congratulate the minister in his efforts worldwide, the fact of the matter is that the United States is going to continue to be always our main market, according to your own department's estimates. So I have to ask you, Mr. Minister, on the topic...number one, I think the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade have been asleep at the switch in the Buy American issue, because on June 28--
12:05 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Rob Merrifield
I'd encourage the member to keep his questions to the EU deal.
12:05 p.m.
Liberal
Wayne Easter Liberal Malpeque, PE
The minister is here, Mr. Chair, and he is the only one who can answer on this issue--
12:05 p.m.
Conservative
12:05 p.m.
Liberal
Wayne Easter Liberal Malpeque, PE
--but they can go to the negotiator, and if we're going to.... What's that old saying, fiddling around while Rome burned? Well, I believe the Government of Canada is missing and killing Canadian jobs by not paying attention to what's going on in the United States. That's our most important market.
12:05 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Rob Merrifield
You mentioned that before, but the minister is here on the EU and the time is tight. Do you have a question on the EU or not?
12:05 p.m.
Conservative
12:05 p.m.
Liberal
Wayne Easter Liberal Malpeque, PE
--and I think you're wrong. It never happened before that a chair prevented a minister from answering questions, but we'll get to that at another stage.
Let me turn back to the CETA.
You've said, and the government has said several times, that supply management is not on the table. Then let me ask you this question, and we know common agriculture policy's not on the table: are tariffs relative to dairy products, eggs and egg products, and poultry part of the discussions with the Europeans?
12:05 p.m.
Conservative
Ed Fast Conservative Abbotsford, BC
Mr. Easter, as I mentioned in my speech, as the Prime Minister has articulated many times, as the throne speech--
12:05 p.m.
Conservative
Ed Fast Conservative Abbotsford, BC
Mr. Easter, let me respond. We've made it very clear that we will defend Canada's system of supply management.
12:05 p.m.
Conservative
Ed Fast Conservative Abbotsford, BC
It is an unambiguous position. I know you would prefer that it be ambiguous so you can turn it into a story--
12:05 p.m.
Conservative
Ed Fast Conservative Abbotsford, BC
--but we have taken a very strong position on supply management. Not only that, we have consulted broadly with the supply managed sector--
12:05 p.m.
Liberal
Wayne Easter Liberal Malpeque, PE
That's fine. Mr. Minister, supply management is made up of three pillars. One of them is tariffs. I'm asking you the question directly, are tariffs relative to egg and egg products, poultry, and dairy products part or not part of the discussions?
12:05 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Rob Merrifield
I'll ask the member to address his questions through the chair, so we don't give the control away here.
12:05 p.m.
Conservative
Ed Fast Conservative Abbotsford, BC
Mr. Easter, I can tell you with absolute certainty that we have made no concessions on supply management.