Canada-Korea Economic Growth and Prosperity Act  They would have forced our government to completely renegotiate the agreement and set Canadians back even further. This anti-trade behaviour is just as bad for Canadians who depend on trade for their jobs as the Liberals' record on trade. During 13 long years in the government, the Liberals completely neglected trade, completing only three free trade agreements.

Canada-Korea Economic Growth and Prosperity Act  This makes me smile because, unlike what our opponents, the government members, like to say, we are not a party that is against international trade. We are not anti-trade, quite the contrary. If members want to ask me questions about that, they should also speak to the member with whom I have been communicating over the past two, three or four years on economic issues.

Canada-Korea Economic Growth and Prosperity Act  Of course, trade and investment represent the twin engines of growth for the global economy, and again I have to reflect on the anti-trade ideology of the NDP. Although the NDP may support the bill a little bit, it is a fact that it did try to sabotage this bill at the trade committee. Rather than thinking about what is best for all Canadians, the NDP tabled amendments to remove the investor protection provisions, cornerstones of a modern trade and investment agreement, in order to please a small group of its supporters and perhaps some supporters of the Green Party.

Business of Supply  We can look at what the NDP policies would be. The members went to the United States on an anti-trade mission to talk down our ability for the Keystone pipeline. We hear them argue against every trade agreement that comes before the House. They are anti-trade and anti-jobs. I could go on and on about the carbon tax they want to implement and the higher corporate rate for taxes.

International Trade committee  Our amendments are, in our view, intended to build on that good agreement and make it stronger, so they're not anti-trade at all. The other thing I would point out is that we also believe that investors need to have protection. The question that we raise with this amendment is: in what venue are investors to enforce their claims?

International Trade committee  We all understand that January 1 is the deadline we want to meet. This is, of course, absolutely the NDP's anti-trade agenda that they indirectly want to enforce. I will be opposing it.

Canada-Korea Economic Growth and Prosperity Act  Trade accounts for one out of every five jobs in Canada and is equivalent in dollar terms to over 60% of our country's annual income.Yet despite all the evidence that trade creates jobs, economic growth, and economic security for hard-working Canadian families, the opposition has been traditionally opposed to international free trade agreements. This anti-trade behaviour negates Canadians who depend on trade for their jobs and puts Canadian workers and businesses at severe risk of falling behind in this era of global markets. Our government recognizes that Canadian companies are at risk of being at a competitive disadvantage in key markets, as their major foreign competitors, such as the United States and the European Union, are currently benefiting from preferential access under existing free trade agreements.

International Trade  A few months ago, they said they were waiting for the final text to be released to the public. We did that last week, and now we hear the same old anti-trade, anti-investment rhetoric. On this side of the House, we know how important new opportunities for trade are to our Canadian business people, our investors, and our consumers. On this side, we are getting things done.

International Trade  It should surprise no one that the New Democrats would want us to cancel the event. They wanted us to cancel this event because we know they are anti-trade, anti-investment and have no credibility on trade whatsoever.

International Trade  Speaker, why would the opposition want us to cancel such a critical element of this event, the Canada-EU summit? We know that the NDP is anti-trade. Not once has it stood in the House and supported any one of the free trade agreements that Canada has ever signed. On this side of the House, in a short eight years, the government has signed free trade agreements with 38 different countries, and there are many more to come.

Canada-Korea Economic Growth and Prosperity Act  Mr. Speaker, it is on record that the NDP has a long, very proud history of being anti-trade. Some people call it the “no development party”. I understand why the New Democrats find it difficult to find points to criticize in this free trade agreement. We, the Conservative Party of Canada, know that trade is good for Canadians and good for families.

Canada-Korea Economic Growth and Prosperity Act  The last time I looked, our health care system was intact, we still had full control over our water resources, and Canadian culture is alive and well. My point today is that many of those same naysayers and anti-trade activists are trotting out the same old tired arguments against every new trade agreement that Canada negotiates. I want to assure the members that their dire predictions were wrong 25 years ago, and they are just as wrong today.

International Trade  Stakeholders from across Canada are openly calling on Parliament to pass the bill without delay so Canadians can reap the benefits of the agreement. We know the NDP's anti-trade ideology and we know the Liberal Party's mediocre record on concluding trade agreements. Only our Conservative government understands how critical freer and more open trade is to the long term prosperity of our country.

Canada-Honduras Economic Growth and Prosperity Act  I hear the member on some of the issues, but I do not believe that closing ourselves off, staying entirely in Canada, being anti-trade and anti-growth and anti-prosperity, is going to do what we need to do in the rest of the world. We need to expand global markets.

Dairy Producers  The first point is that Canada has always been and will always be a trading nation. To say that I, or members of my party, are anti-trade is simply ludicrous. The bottom line is that any trade agreement we sign should not do harm to our country or its citizens. As I have outlined, allowing 17,700 tonnes of European cheese into our market will harm our dairy industry.