A lot of the questions I had were already posed by members, so I don't want to be repetitive. Obviously, I realize that there were issues of concern that people had, as well people who were expressing their support for the agreement.
The shipbuilding industry was one issue that came forward, and they certainly raised some issues. I tried to state some possibilities to lessen some of their concerns, but I wasn't sure whether I got support for my suggestions or not.
However, as important as committee work is, at the end of the day it is the prerogative of the executive of the government to decide trade deals. We're either going to support this or not, but at the end of the day we're not going to be able to amend it here on this committee, that's for sure.
We're all fond of European countries; they're healthy democracies; they're global leaders, friends, and allies. Trade with Europe is very much something we're interested in pursuing, and there are no problems there that we might have with other countries on issues like human rights, for example. These are wonderful countries and we're all very proud to have good relationships with them.
But there is one thing we also have to keep in mind in these deals. Having grown up in Europe and having studied European politics, I know they are protectionist in their own way and they know how to take care of themselves. The various European loans that are handed out--by certain major partner countries in particular--tend to always have strings attached, such as buy from this country and that country, and rarely do they tend to go outside of their own market. It's been a very good success story. We should all be very proud of the European economic union. It's been a huge success story for most Europeans and it has brought a lot of countries that were impoverished into first-world status, so it's a major plus.
I know that you are supportive of the deal, but maybe you can help me understand the European perspective. How much are they trying to get a deal that would basically be lopsided towards them, and how much is it from our side? Like I said, Europeans are free traders within their market but they're very protectionist as well.