Arts and Culture  As always, this government strives to promote jobs, growth and long-term prosperity. Canadians are disappointed that the anti-trade and pro-carbon tax NDP cannot say the same.

The Economy  Under the leadership of our Prime Minister, we continue to open new markets for Canadian businesses, supporting them as they compete in the global marketplace. The anti-trade NDP, au contraire, wants to implement risky schemes to raise taxes, while the Liberal leader thinks that budgets balance themselves. Every middle-class family knows that it takes discipline to balance the chequebook, but only our Conservative government is focused on the priorities of Canadians: jobs, growth and economic prosperity.

Canada-Honduras Economic Growth and Prosperity Act  Of course, the government is going to accuse us of opposing every free trade agreement, of being anti-trade and of being evil communists. Quite the opposite, actually. On this side of the House, we are keenly aware of how important trade is for our economy. We, too, support Canadian exporters and we do not disagree with everything.

Canada-Honduras Economic Growth and Prosperity Act  Here we go again with Bill C-20. Contrary to the 14-second soundbites that come from across the floor, we are not anti-trade over here. That would be to take an ideological position and eschew all practical considerations and objectives. That is not what we are about. That is what those guys do over there, and what the Liberals do, too, as we have seen tonight, although they like to confuse it by saying that they are concerned.

Canada-Honduras Economic Growth and Prosperity Act  Stories like that from our industry prove why this agreement needs to be passed and as soon as possible. I repeat: as soon as we can. What the anti-trade New Democratic Party does not understand is how broad the benefits would be for Canadians, even after Mr. Urias spelled it out for its members at committee, when he explained: ...[the free trade agreement] benefits the very base, the very foundation of the producing sector, as well as farmers, distributors, transporters by train, truck, or you name it.

International Trade  Speaker, the NDP continues to display its true colours when it comes to free trade. Canadians know that the NDP is anti-trade. Its members have never stood in the House and voted for any FTA. Now the NDP is trying to delay our ambitious trade agenda by attempting to delete every single clause in the Canada-Honduras free trade agreement.

International Trade  Speaker, yesterday, the Minister of International Trade appeared at committee to provide an update on Canada's global markets action plan. The NDP critic was there. The NDP never misses an opportunity to put its anti-trade diatribe front and centre. The Liberal critic was MIA—yes, missing. The member for Toronto Centre was absent, like the Liberal record on international trade. Our government knows that with trade comes prosperity.

International Trade  Speaker, last night, the NDP proved once again that it cannot be trusted to manage the economy and that it is unfit to govern. This is not a joke. Last night the anti-trade party stood in the House and voted against yet another job-creating free trade agreement. Can the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Trade please explain how this agreement, and others like it, will benefit job creators in the Peace Country, which I represent, and the rest of northern Alberta?

International Trade  Speaker, I would like to thank the member for that question and his personal efforts to grow our trade relationships. Yesterday, we saw the anti-trade NDP rear its head again, when its members voted against the Canada-Honduras free trade agreement. Whether it is our blockbuster European deal, the Korean, our first deal in Asia, or even a smaller deal in our own hemisphere, the NDP opposes trade and the one in five jobs that come from it.

Canada-Honduras Economic Growth and Prosperity Act  The free trade agreement between Canada and Honduras would also further Canada's foreign strategy of deepening our engagement in the Americas and support the vision of enhancing economic integration in the hemisphere. On the other hand, the NDP's anti-trade record is very clear. Going all the way back to the Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement in 1988, New Democrats have opposed every single free trade agreement Canada has ever signed into law.

International Trade  Speaker, the historic Canada-EU trade agreement announced by our Prime Minister will bring benefits to key economic sectors in every region of the country. Despite what the opposition and its anti-trade union backers say, we know this trade agreement, with a market of over 500 million people, will benefit Canadian workers, businesses and families. In order to counter the fear and misinformation being spread by fringe anti-trade free traders, could the parliamentary secretary update the House on what our government is doing to ensure Canadians from coast to coast have the facts about this important trade deal?

International Trade  In fact, the Canadian Agri-Food Trade Alliance said: CAFTA fully supports this deal, which we expect will expand agriculture and food exports to the EU by an incredible C$1.5 billion dollars a year. However, the NDP is an anti-trade party beholden to unions and radical anti-trade activist groups. Union friends of the NDP have already denied the benefits of a Canada-Europe trade agreement and the Leader of the Opposition said last week, “there's going to be a hell of a price to pay” for trade with Europe.

Canada-Honduras Economic Growth and Prosperity Act  While the member certainly can promote an isolationist-type of environment, where we just stay at home, where we are anti-trade and do not participate in global markets, that is not the government's approach and not the one we on our side of the House will take in this agreement.

Canada-Honduras Economic Growth and Prosperity Act  We look at those situations and then they stand and say that they are the defenders of human rights and as long as we have the kind of country that has our unions with labour and everything else, that is what is important and then we can talk about it. I just wonder how Canadian businesses can be protected from the anti-trade rhetoric.

Canada-Honduras Economic Growth and Prosperity Act  For them to now get up in the House and suggest that they want a robust debate on trade belies their underlying anti-trade ideology. Let me talk about the Honduras trade agreement that is the subject of this time allocation motion. There has already been debate on this. These negotiations started back in 2000, close to 15 years ago.