Mr. Speaker, the member talked about the partisan use of time. If that was not just as partisan a statement as we could find, I would like to see the other one that comes close to matching it.
The day he calls the removal of interprovincial trade barriers a partisan issue it is a sad day in this House. It is an issue that affects
all Canadians. As I explained before, 200,000 jobs are lost because action has not been taken, six billion to ten billion dollars lost, $3,500 per family. In family week I would expect this member to acknowledge that and to accept that and to say yes, this is an important issue.
This agreement is an important agreement as well. We are supporting it. We are doing everything we can to push it along, so what he said is nonsense.
On the relative importance of this agreement, which involves $.5 billion in trade, to the agreement to internal trade, which involves $146 billion in trade, the comparison is pretty lopsided. The importance of removing the barriers through internal trade cannot be overstated. It is not a partisan issue. This member should not have presented it as that.