Thank you, Mr. Chair.
To our witnesses, good morning, and thank you all for being here. Thanks for your perspectives.
I agree that a balanced approach is always best when trying to negotiate. It was kind of the philosophy of many Canadians. It was summed up by Preston Manning when he said “Why did the Canadian cross the road? To get to the middle.”
We're always trying to find that middle perspective in agreement so we can provide the best for Canadians across the country. Is that always possible? No.
Mr. Risley, you mentioned the 1998 free trade agreement. Just a couple of days ago there was a documentary on the 1988 election, and it brought back the scenario. It was interesting. Some of the advertisements were very strategic. They said the agreement would erase the 49th parallel, that we were going to become the 51st state, a colony of the U.S. There was a lot of fear-mongering out there.
Unfortunately, we hear some of that today. But it's always easier to stay positive and look to the future. We also need to learn from our past experiences. The free trade agreement, NAFTA, is definitely far from perfect.
Would you agree that this CETA agreement is a 21st-century agreement that's going to be a template for helping not only Canada in our future trade agreements but also other countries in the globalized trading world?