International Trade Committee on Nov. 29th, 2018

[Colin Carrie, Conservative, Oshawa, ON]

We'd like to see when you're going to put it up to that price, because that is a significant competitive difference between our country and other countries.

[The Chair, Liberal, Mark Eyking]

We're out of time. We're going to have to cut it off there.

We have time for one more MP, who will be splitting the time. Mr. Peterson, you have the floor.

[Kyle Peterson, Liberal, Newmarket—Aurora, ON]

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'll share my time with MP Tabbara.

I want to talk a little about something unique in the amended agreement here, the corporate social responsibility article.

What obligations does Canada have under that new provision, and how does that align with our trade approach internationally?

[Jim Carr]

The importance of corporate social responsibility is becoming an increasingly important conversation among nations. We think this agreement moves that forward more aggressively than any other agreements.

It's important to our government that Canadian companies around the world respect the values and laws that are so important to us here in Canada, so we're moving forward on a process to do a better job of holding Canadian companies overseas to account.

As you know, we're moving forward with the appointment of the first-ever ombudsperson for corporate social responsibility, to help reflect our core values to the world and to deliver on our trade agenda. Having corporate responsibility within the CIFTA agreement will encourage companies to follow responsible business practices while incorporating internationally recognized principles and guidelines.

That's how it's referred to directly within CIFTA. Then there's the broader issue of the commitment of the Government of Canada to appoint an ombudsperson, and that process is well along the way.

[Kyle Peterson, Liberal, Newmarket—Aurora, ON]

Thank you.

I have one more question, and then there will be enough time for my colleague.

In your opening comments you alluded to the innovative nature of the Israeli economy. Through CIFTA, can Canada promote partnerships in the clean-tech and high-tech sectors? Is the amended agreement a good mechanism to do so?

[Jim Carr]

There are chapters within the agreement that promote those kinds of exchanges. There are people-to-people relationships. There are institution-to-institution relationships, even in my own province of Manitoba.

On water management, there is a quite well-developed relationship between our universities and universities in Israel. There is a very serious high-tech, clean-tech component to the management of water. The Israelis have a lot to learn from Manitobans, and vice versa. What these trade deals do, again in the metaphor of bridge-building, is make it easier for these institutions and these companies to take advantage of each other because of the facilitation that these agreements offer. In clean tech in particular, there is an awful lot of learning to happen both ways.

[Kyle Peterson, Liberal, Newmarket—Aurora, ON]

Thank you, Minister.

Mr. Chair, my colleague can have the floor.

[Marwan Tabbara, Liberal, Kitchener South—Hespeler, ON]

Thank you, Minister, for being here.

You've talked about the high-tech sector. I come from the Waterloo region, which is a big high-tech hub. Israel has grown its high-tech sector and it has increased its GDP 4% per year. In my region, we have Communitech, a tech company that attracted $391 million in 2017. That's a 14% increase from 2016.

You've mentioned that previously you were the resource minister. I believe the best resources are our people. We've attracted a lot of people in our region for the high-tech sector. There were 1,100 open positions posted online to be filled.

This alludes to my colleague's question: How can we bridge this gap in the high-tech sector? How can we learn from one another, and how can we increase our GDP going forward?

[Jim Carr]

I think the easiest way is to just get on a plane—dare I make that suggestion—and have a look. There have been many trade missions, and the Israelis always welcome trade missions to Canada, but at the same time I don't think we should diminish or underestimate how far we've come in this sector in Canada. You know yourself, colleague, and the Israelis are noticing that too. There are more and more academic exchanges and more combined research projects.

What interests me most about this is the role of government in stimulating that kind of research and creativity, and we are taking measures across the Government of Canada to do exactly that. It's the relationship between public policy, academic institutions and the dynamic entrepreneurial sector, and the mix within that relationship, that is the right one for the circumstances of any nation-state, that leads to these good results.

Israel's national situation is not identical to Canada's, but there are a lot of similarities, and understanding where those similarities are and how we can learn from.... You gave GDP growth of 4% a year, and why that 4% a year growth is able to take root is among the lessons that we can learn.

This agreement, these relationships, these academic institutions, these joint partnerships all lead to taking full advantage of what we can learn from each other.

[The Chair, Liberal, Mark Eyking]

Thank you. That wraps up the time with the MPs, and it wraps up our first hour here this morning.

Thank you for coming, Minister, and thank you to your officials for coming with you. We look forward to more agreements. Take care.

[Jim Carr]

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Mark Eyking]

We're going to suspend for five minutes, and then we're going to go back at it.

[The Chair, Liberal, Mark Eyking]

We're going to—

[Sukh Dhaliwal, Liberal, Surrey—Newton, BC]

Just one minute.

Mr. Chair, in this place life is so busy, and some of us face health issues. Yesterday in the B.C. caucus, we had one member who had to be taken by ambulance to the hospital. It makes us all aware that we've lost some members.

Food is very important. In this committee, I want to give a vote of thanks to the clerk, Christine Lafrance, for the great work that she does.

[The Clerk of the Committee, Ms. Christine Lafrance]

It's the cooks, the cooks.

[Sukh Dhaliwal, Liberal, Surrey—Newton, BC]

It's not only the technical part, but it's when it comes to taking care of us from the diet perspective, it's excellent, so thank you, Christine.

[The Chair, Liberal, Mark Eyking]

Thank you from Mr. Dhaliwal. We're also passing that down the chain to whoever prepares the meal, even as far as the farmers who grew it. It's all good.

We're going to continue.

We have the minister here on the agreement with Israel, and I think we have 12 clauses, but before we start, I think Mr. Carrie has a word.

Before you start, you had a big week, sir.

[Colin Carrie, Conservative, Oshawa, ON]

Yes.

[The Chair, Liberal, Mark Eyking]

It's hard on your community and it's hard as an MP when you lose that many jobs. Anyway, from the committee to you, hang in there.

[Colin Carrie, Conservative, Oshawa, ON]

Well, you know what, Mr. Chair? I want thank you for personally reaching out and talking to me earlier in the week. This is devastating for our community. We're looking at 2,800 families who are going to be affected by this announcement. I think it's really important that we look at this more.

GM made this decision. This is an award-winning plant, but it's not going to have any product allocated to it after 2019, which effectively jeopardizes the future of production of this plant, for sure. I was happy to hear the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development say that all options are being examined.

I'd like to give notice of this motion. It is that:

Pursuant to Standing Order 108(2), the Committee immediately undertake a study concerning the Automotive Industry in Canada and details of all options of the Federal Government's plan to defend the Canadian Automotive Industry and the ability to defend Canada's competitiveness globally; that the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development appear; and that the Committee report its findings to the House.

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Mark Eyking]

Thank you, Mr. Carrie.

You're just tabling the motion, so we're going to continue on.

Of course, we've done many agreements here at this committee. Everybody at this table seems to know how it rolls. We'll go from clause to clause.

We're going to start off with clause 1.

Shall clause 1 carry?

(Clause 1 agreed to)

Shall clause 2 carry?

(Clause 2 agreed to)

(On clause3)

On clause 3 we have three amendments from the NDP.

Ms. Ramsey, they're your amendments.

[Tracey Ramsey, NDP, Essex, ON]

Yes.

[The Chair, Liberal, Mark Eyking]

You're aware that previously it's been notified they're not admissible, those first three.

[Tracey Ramsey, NDP, Essex, ON]

Just one second, please, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Mark Eyking]

You have to move them, and then I have to rule on them. I'm sorry about that.

You go ahead.