In one word, yes: I think more free trade is good. It gives us access to other markets. It increases competition at home, which is also good for our economy. It forces companies to sharpen their pencils on an ongoing basis. It really is allowing Canadian companies to take advantage of what are called global supply chains or global value chains as they change their business model.
Again, we are on the record as strongly supporting bilateral, regional, or multilateral free trade however you can accomplish it. I think Canada benefits from access to more markets around the world.
One of the good things that happened after the financial crisis was that we saw very few trade barriers put in place, because under globalization, firms and national economies are more and more integrated. People understand that by doing a Buy American clause, for example, you just shoot yourself in the foot. You actually hurt your own economy by putting a barrier in the way.
I could only encourage the government to pursue more free trade, in Asia and.... I mentioned the trans-Pacific partnership. That will require us to address some barriers at home that are actually preventing us from having full access to free trade.