Thank you, Chair.
I'd like to thank our guests for attending and providing their testimony to us today.
It certainly seems clear to me that what we have is a philosophical difference about what free trade is intended to do. I suspect that no level of questions that I might ask or any answers that you might provide in support of this would probably provide any monumental shifts in the way either of us thinks. That's too bad in a way, because quite honestly, as I think about what we're trying to do in Panama with this deal, I look at what we've done with this. The effect, ladies and gentlemen, of a free trade deal with Panama would be to immediately remove tariffs from most of the two-way trade between our two countries. I don't know how that's bad for people.
I note that Miss Healy indicated that a free trade agreement would help multinationals avoid their responsibilities. That was a piece of a quote from an earlier comment. What I don't understand is what's wrong with having a rules-based system, We already do trade now. In fact, as I look at the statistics for trade between Canada and Panama, there's a balance of trade of about $50 million in Panama's favour. We do some $132 million of bilateral trade, and most of that is Panama's exports to Canada.
What I don't understand is how eliminating tariffs to help the economies of both countries prosper in the worst recession we've ever had can be bad for any individual, when in fact we're trying to give them the dignity of a job. I certainly understand social justice. I think I do. I think I understand what it is to treat people with respect. I think I know that as well, but it surprises me when what we're trying to do is increase the standards of living in our two countries. In addition to that, here we have a labour cooperation agreement that respects the International Labour Organization's Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work and has in place an agreement on the environment that has a number of things that talk about the importance of that.
In the absence of those things, can you please tell me--and perhaps, Ms. Healy, I might ask you, because I'm not sure who to ask this question to, quite frankly--how not having this deal hurts the people of Panama and helps Canadians? Can you please help me get my head around that, because I'm terribly stressed by an arbitrary position that, frankly, feels that way and has no give, and I don't sense a given in all of this. Maybe you could help me understand in the brief moment that you have for a response.