Bill C-13

An Act to implement the Protocol on the Accession of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership

This enactment implements the Protocol on the Accession of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, done at Auckland and Bandar Seri Begawan on July 16, 2023, by updating how that Agreement is defined or referred to in certain Acts and by amending other Acts to bring them into conformity with Canada’s obligations under that Agreement and Protocol.

An Act to Implement the Protocol on the Accession of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership

[Cheryl Gallant, Conservative, Algonquin—Renfrew—Pembroke, ON]

Mr. Speaker, 10 years ago, we started campaigning to make sure the softwood lumber agreement would be in place. The Liberals have not even considered putting it in as part of the negotiations for the next USMCA.

The truth is that the government does not want a forestry industry. We see that in all the UN declarations, such as 30 by 30, which will become 50 by 50, with land set aside where nobody can harvest anything. It is time to face reality. The Liberals do not want trees cut down.

[Blaine Calkins, Conservative, Ponoka—Didsbury, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my long-time colleague and friend for her excellent speech here in the House and for telling Canadians exactly how it is here in Ottawa.

As a patriot, how much longer does she think Canada can hold out as a sovereign nation before it becomes a subsidiary of Brookfield?

[Cheryl Gallant, Conservative, Algonquin—Renfrew—Pembroke, ON]

Mr. Speaker, for a minute, I thought he was going to ask me how much longer I was going to stay in Parliament.

We actually do not know that Canada is not a subsidiary. The government has already provided over a billion dollars a year to a consortium of companies to run CNL, our crown jewel in the nuclear laboratories. He is willing to sell that down without any Canadian participation. My concern, my fellow Conservative, is that he has already sold us.

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, the member was factually incorrect on a number of accounts. Harper had nothing to do with the signing of the Canada-Ukraine deal. That was actually Justin Trudeau and the minister of foreign affairs at the time. On the European Union, the 27 countries, he had nothing to do with that either. A Liberal government actually signed off on them, not to mention the other countries that she mentioned.

The member has got to be somewhat nervous when the current leader of the Conservative Party is looking to run in a riding in Ontario. Rumour has it that the member opposite might be stepping aside. Can the member confirm to the House that she will be running in the next federal election in the same riding?

[Cheryl Gallant, Conservative, Algonquin—Renfrew—Pembroke, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I will tell my greatest fan that, yes, I will be back.

However, the Liberals rewrite history. First, they tear down history, the statues and everything, and then they rewrite it so that it favours their narrative. It is time we went back to what really happened and teach our children the genuine history of Canada.

[Maninder Sidhu, Liberal, Minister of International Trade]

Mr. Speaker, I will be splitting my time with the member for Cardigan.

I rise today in support of Bill C-13, legislation that confirms Canada's ratification of the United Kingdom's accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, or the CPTPP.

This legislation is part of Canada's ongoing story as one of the world's greatest trading nations. Like any great story, it is important to understand where we have been, where we are today and where we are going. Canada's history is inseparable from trade. Our prosperity has always come from looking outward, engaging with the world and building bridges that connect our people, our products and our ideas with global markets.

Over generations, we have built one of the most impressive records of trade leadership of any nation. Canada stands as the only G7 country that has free trade agreements with every other member of the G7. Think about what that says about who we are: a nation committed to openness, a nation trusted by its peers and a nation recognized for its reliability in global commerce. Our reach goes far beyond the G7. Canada has 15 free trade agreements with 51 countries, giving our businesses and workers preferential access to 1.5 billion consumers.

That extraordinary achievement is the result of decades of work by governments of all stripes, by diplomats, by negotiators and by Canadian businesses and their top-notch workers, who have built our reputation around the world. We are a nation that has embraced openness not as a risk but as a strength. We are a country that knows when Canadians compete on the global stage, we win.

Since this government was elected, we have relentlessly worked to expand that foundation even further, and we have results to show for it. Canada has signed a free trade agreement with Ecuador, a growing market with which our bilateral trade already exceeds $1 billion annually, opening opportunities for Canadian agri-food exporters, clean-tech innovators and mining service providers. We have signed a comprehensive economic partnership agreement with Indonesia, a G20 member of 278 million people projected to be become the fifth-largest economy in the world, giving Canadian businesses preferential access to a booming consumer market.

We will be negotiating a trade agreement with the Philippines, an economy expanding 5% to 6% annually, where a young population is driving new demand for Canadian products. We are negotiating a trade agreement with the ASEAN bloc, a region of 680 million consumers with a GDP of $3.7 trillion, where Canadian exporters stand to benefit in areas such as clean technology, agriculture and digital services.

Staying with ASEAN, we have also advanced bilateral free trade talks with Thailand because its fast-growing economy and rising ties with Canada make this agreement a key opportunity to boost Canadian jobs and open a major market for our businesses. We are advancing trade discussions with India, the world's fifth-largest economy, offering vast opportunities for Canadian companies in education, critical minerals, clean energy and advanced manufacturing.

We have signed a foreign investment promotion and protection agreement with the United Arab Emirates, one of Canada's largest trading partners in the Middle East. As well, we have announced negotiations for a broader trade agreement with the U.A.E. to deepen access to this powerful market.

At the G20, the Prime Minister announced the launch of discussions of an investment agreement with South Africa, the most industrial economy in Africa, strengthening the foundation for Canadian investment in a continent of 1.4 billion potential consumers. We are advancing negotiations on a digital trade agreement with the European Union, a $17-trillion market, ensuring Canadian fintech, AI, cybersecurity and e-commerce firms can compete and grow globally. We have launched discussions on a trade agreement with the Mercosur bloc, which includes Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay, a market of 295 million people with a combined GDP of $2.7 trillion.

This is one of the most ambitious trade expansion agendas Canada has ever taken and reflects a simple truth: In a world where supply chains are shifting, where economies are transforming and where competition is intensifying, Canada must lead and never follow. Today we debate trade legislation, Bill C-13, but as seen from my speech, it will most certainly not be our last. There is much more to come.

We stand at a turning point in the evolution of one of the most important trade agreements on earth: the CPTPP trading bloc. The trading bloc consists of 11 countries, soon to be 12. The United Kingdom's accession to the CPTPP represents the agreement's first expansion. It brings into the fold the world's sixth-largest economy and a long-standing, deeply trusted ally. The U.K. is already one of Canada's most significant trading partners, our third-largest destination for merchandise exports and a top source for investments.

With the U.K. joining the CPTPP, Canadian exports will benefit from stronger, more predictable access in areas ranging from seafood to advanced manufacturing, clean technology, services and digital trade. This matters because the CPTPP is a high-standard, rules-based framework that shapes the future of trade in the Indo-Pacific, one of the fastest growing regions in the world. With the U.K. at the table, the CPTPP becomes stronger, more influential and more attractive for future accessions. It expands our reach and it opens new doors for Canadian businesses at a moment when diversification is not optional; it is essential. Bill C-13 ensures that Canada is not only part of this moment, but that we are welcoming new partners to the table so that we can shape it together.

As we look forward to where we are going, this government has set a bold, ambitious and necessary goal to double Canada's non-U.S. exports to over $300 billion within the next 10 years. Achieving that goal would mean more exports that support good jobs, drive innovation and strengthen communities across every region in our country.

To get there, we need to make sure our businesses have the tools they need to succeed. That is why, in budget 2025, we make major investments in Canada's supply chain infrastructure. Exporters can only grow if the roads, rails, ports and airports that they rely on are strong, resilient and efficient. With our new $5-billion trade diversification infrastructure fund, we will be supporting more growth. To double our non-U.S. exports, we need 21st-century infrastructure capacity that matches our ambition. That is exactly what we plan to deliver. Canadians deserve no less.

We also need to support businesses, especially small and medium-sized enterprises, as they take their first steps into global markets and expand into new ones. That means improving programs, such as the CanExport program, that help companies export, strengthening the services that guide them and continuing to work with partners, provinces and territories, indigenous partners, industry associations, pension funds and financial institutions to create a seamless network of support. This is the path forward. This is how we get from where we are to where we are going.

Trade is about people. Let me tell the House who we do this work for. It is about the farmers in Saskatchewan who rise before dawn and work every day to feed families here in Canada and around the world. It is about the shipbuilder in Nova Scotia whose craftsmanship carries Canadian expertise across the Atlantic. It is about the miner in Nunavut supplying the critical minerals the world needs for clean-tech supply chains. It is about the energy in British Columbia, low-carbon energy, reaching new Asian markets and supporting thousands of jobs. It is about the aerospace engineer in Quebec designing components that fly in planes on every continent.

It is about the fisheries and the fishermen in Newfoundland and Labrador who bring world-class seafood from cold Atlantic waters to global markets. It is about the Alberta energy workers whose expertise and commitment drive our energy sector forward. It is about the advanced manufacturers in Ontario producing parts for assembly lines in Asia and beyond. It is about the entrepreneurs in Manitoba whose agri-food innovations feed communities around the world. It is about the tourism operator in Prince Edward Island welcoming travellers who discover Canada through international agreements. It is about the tech founders in New Brunswick exporting cybersecurity solutions around the globe. It is about the clean-tech innovator in the Northwest Territories transforming northern engineering into global opportunities. As well, it is about the indigenous artists and cultural entrepreneurs in Yukon sharing creativity and our identity with the world.

Canada has achieved extraordinary things. We are not a country that rests. We are not a country that settles. We are relentless: relentless in our ambition, relentless in our pursuit of new opportunities and relentless in our determination to keep delivering for Canadians.

Bill C-13 and the U.K.'s accession to the CPTPP is part of that momentum. It is a continuation of a story that began generations ago and that will carry us forward for generations to come. Let us meet this moment with confidence. Let us meet this moment with optimism. Let us meet with a team Canada approach, united in the conviction that our ambition should be as vast as the opportunities before us and the country we collectively represent here in Parliament, because when Canadians set bold goals, when we work together and when we look outward to the world, there is nothing that we cannot achieve.

[The Deputy Speaker, Tom Kmiec]

Before we proceed to questions and comments, I have consulted with the Table, and there was one small procedural error made. We were supposed to seek unanimous consent for the minister to be able to speak to the bill. There is a procedural reason for that.

This is going to sound odd, but I would ask if we could have unanimous consent for the minister to make a speech so we can complete questions and comments afterward. Is it agreed?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

[The Deputy Speaker, Tom Kmiec]

I thank the hon. members. I wanted to make sure that I did not interrupt the minister's speech so he could complete it before we went to questions and comments.

The hon. member for Kamloops—Shuswap—Central Rockies.

[Mel Arnold, Conservative, Kamloops—Shuswap—Central Rockies, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I noted that the Minister of International Trade was talking about great things to come.

I want to take him to things as they are right now. We have trade agreements in place, but they are not being enforced. For example, chicken producers in my riding of Kamloops—Shuswap—Central Rockies are asking why the government continues to allow the U.S. to send 115% of its spent fowl production to Canada. Part of that 115% is mislabeled, shipped to Canada, relabelled and then sold as broiler meat, which is in competition with Canadian producers.

Why is this allowed to happen?

[Maninder Sidhu, Liberal, Brampton East, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for his advocacy for farmers in his region. That is something that I am happy to follow up on with CFIA and Health Canada.

Speaking of the agriculture sector, the agreements I have spoken about will unlock new opportunities in markets around the world. We look at the CPTPP trading block, which consists of over 500 million potential consumers. When I am sitting down and talking to those in the agriculture sector, they are excited about the potential that these opportunities create. That is exactly what the government will do. We will continue to be out there opening doors for our farmers and our workers.

[Simon-Pierre Savard-Tremblay, Bloc, Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot—Acton, QC]

Mr. Speaker, as I said at the outset a few weeks ago, the Bloc Québécois will vote in favour of this bill even though it will oppose investor-state dispute settlement during clause-by-clause consideration, since we have always been against that. My question will not be on the substance of the agreement, which is good for everyone.

My colleague and I once served together on the Standing Committee on International Trade. He knows how long it takes to conduct in-depth studies on agreements that are sometimes very lengthy. In this case, the government did not abide by Canada's official policy on tabling treaties in Parliament, which is available on the website. There is supposed to be a 21-day period between the announcement of an agreement and the tabling of the legislation. In this case, it was 15 days.

Why did the government not follow its own official policy?

[Maninder Sidhu, Liberal, Brampton East, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I hope to answer my colleague one day in French, as I am learning. I do miss my time on the trade committee with the member opposite.

We are in a crisis today, and the Prime Minister has been very clear about this. This is not a speed bump. This is a rupture in the current trading environment.

I spent 13 years in international trade prior to politics, facilitating trade for hundreds of businesses. If I were asked back then, I would have said that businesses were not ready to look at global markets because of the conditions that existed at that time with the U.S. Twenty-five years ago, 90% of our trade was with the U.S. It is now around 75%, and we have to move fast. That is exactly what the government is doing.

We are moving quickly because we want to make sure that these trade agreements are in place. This is what stakeholders are asking us to do. This is what Canadians are asking us to do. As we sort this out and have those discussions with the U.S., we need to continue opening new markets.

[Kody Blois, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to clarify for the member for Kamloops—Shuswap—Central Rockies that it was actually this government that established an MOU between CFIA and CBSA to tackle spent fowl. The minister may or may not know that, but that is work that we are doing. I will remind the Conservative Party that it had nothing in its electoral platform for farmers.

Speaking of farmers, I have a large apple contingent in the Annapolis Valley. The Nova Scotia fruit growers have a tradition of over one hundred years of growing quality Honeycrisp apples. One of their growth markets is in Vietnam.

I am wondering if the Minister of International Trade would talk about the work he is doing in the Indo-Pacific, what the government is doing to help create export markets, and maybe, explicitly, whether he and I could work together with those Nova Scotia fruit growers to create more markets in Vietnam and beyond in the Indo-Pacific.

[Maninder Sidhu, Liberal, Brampton East, ON]

Mr. Speaker, through you, I would like to thank the member for his incredible work on the trade file and for representing his constituents so well.

We have been talking about our farmers, and I was in different regions across the country, talking to farmers who grow fruits. Of course, the member mentioned Vietnam. It has been a huge market since we signed the CPTPP back a few years ago, in 2018. When we look at what we are doing with Vietnam and the trade numbers, there are incredible opportunities there and we are investing.

There is now an agri-food office in Manila in the Philippines to help facilitate even more trade for our farmers, for those who are involved in agriculture and agri-food. There are plenty of opportunities. That is exactly what we are exploring, as I mentioned, with many of the agreements we have talked about today.