International Trade Committee on Nov. 30th, 2020

[Mary Ng, Liberal, Markham—Thornhill, ON]

That's a terrific question.

As I said a little earlier, Canada can tout that we are the only G7 country that has a free trade agreement with every other G7 country. We have access to almost 65% of the world's economy. We have multilateral agreements like CETA, CPTPP or the new NAFTA, along with many bilateral agreements. That's a billion and a half customers in the global marketplace ready-made for our Canadian businesses, but you're absolutely right that we need to do much more work to help our Canadian businesses to understand the benefits of trade for all businesses: small businesses, women-owned businesses, indigenous-owned businesses and businesses owned by racialized Canadians.

There is work to be done. That's probably why I have a title that doesn't fit on a business card. Small business export promotion and international trade is making sure that we have a robust Canada trade tool box. That trade tool box includes the trade commissioner service; the Business Development Bank of Canada, which helps businesses with access to capital; Export Development Canada; the Canadian Commercial Corporation; and Invest in Canada to attract investment to Canada. Absolutely, work needs to be done domestically, including anchoring tools to Canadian businesses to help them become more export-ready and to take advantage of those opportunities in the international marketplace.

The trade accelerator program was an investment that our government made to the.... The organization escapes my mind now that is delivering that for us across the country. These are collaborations. In B.C. it is a partnership with the B.C. government through their export navigator program. This is about building capacity, helping our businesses understand that these customers are there, and then helping them be successful in that domestic scale-up so they can access those opportunities, businesses and customers abroad.

[The Chair, Liberal, Judy Sgro]

Thank you very much.

We'll move on to Mr. Barsalou-Duval for two and a half minutes.

[Xavier Barsalou-Duval, Bloc, Pierre-Boucher—Les Patriotes—Verchères, QC]

Thank you very much, Madam Chair.

Madam Chair, the member for Outremont asked you earlier whether there were any concessions on supply management. As this is a member of your party and you answered that there would be no concessions, I assume there probably won't be any, although we can always be surprised. In the past, the government has said countless times that it would protect supply management, and yet it has chipped away at it every time, be it under CETA or the trans-Pacific partnership agreement.

If there is no breach in the interim agreement, knowing that Great Britain has a lot of interest in obtaining concessions, our supply management may be sacrificed in the following agreement.

As the interim agreement will not have an expiry date, if supply management is attacked in the future agreement and concessions are requested, can you commit to keeping the interim agreement?

[Mary Ng, Liberal, Markham—Thornhill, ON]

I do want to confirm that this transitional continuity agreement fully protects Canada's dairy, poultry and egg sectors, and that there is no new incremental market access for cheese, or any other supply-managed sector. This agreement does provide us a one-year time frame to launch negotiations, and in that it is very much our intention to work with Canada's producers. But I've been clear, the Prime Minister has been clear—

[Xavier Barsalou-Duval, Bloc, Pierre-Boucher—Les Patriotes—Verchères, QC]

Thank you, Madam Chair. However, you have not answered my question.

If breaches to the supply management are requested in the agreement that will follow the interim agreement, can you commit to maintaining the interim agreement instead of concluding a new agreement that will attack supply management?

[The Chair, Liberal, Judy Sgro]

May we have a short answer, Minister?

[Mary Ng, Liberal, Markham—Thornhill, ON]

The Prime Minister and I have been clear. There will be no additional concessions.

[The Chair, Liberal, Judy Sgro]

Thank you very much.

We will go to Mr. Blaikie for two and a half minutes.

[Daniel Blaikie, NDP, Elmwood—Transcona, MB]

Thank you.

I wonder, Madam Minister, if you have some insight into how the U.K. and the EU intend to resolve the dispute about the border between Ireland and Northern Ireland. How will that affect Canadian companies, such as Bombardier, that have production in Northern Ireland that depends upon an open border between Ireland and Northern Ireland?

[Mary Ng, Liberal, Markham—Thornhill, ON]

Thank you very much for that question.

Canada has been really clear about this. We were part of establishing of the Good Friday Agreement. We've been consistently working on the realization of peace. We're always going to support maintaining the integrity of the Good Friday Agreement, including in the context of the U.K.'s exit from the EU. We firmly believe in preserving the Good Friday Agreement. It's crucial to maintaining peace.

[Daniel Blaikie, NDP, Elmwood—Transcona, MB]

I am very happy to hear of the government's ongoing commitment to maintaining the Good Friday Agreement.

I guess what I'm wondering, and members of the committee may know....

New Democrats voted against CETA. There were substantive issues with the deal, but there was also the fact that we didn't think it was advisable to rush through ratification of CETA when the Brexit question was pending because we thought that the ground might shift considerably.

I'm wondering how it is that we go about signing agreements in the context of such radical uncertainty. Depending on how things get resolved between the U.K. and the EU, do you not think that could have a material impact on the terms and conditions under which Canada may want to trade with the United Kingdom? Do you not think that on problems like the border question, Canada might be able to be more effective in, for instance, coming to a solution that maintains that Good Friday Agreement, if we had a better sense of where things were going between the EU and the U.K. before concluding an agreement with them?

[Mary Ng, Liberal, Markham—Thornhill, ON]

That's an important question.

The purpose of this continuity agreement is to provide that predictability.

We do have CETA. CETA is ratified here in Canada. Businesses and Canadians have made plans on that premise. Having this continuity agreement will ensure that this predictability continues to be for Canadian businesses and Canadian workers.

At the same time, we are going to pay close attention to the U.K.'s exit from the EU. Our principles are clear around the Good Friday Agreement and the commitment to that. We will have an opportunity in the negotiation of a new FTA that considers many things from Canadian businesses. We fully intend to engage and listen to our workers.

The answer to your question is that it is really important that we do provide that continuity and that predictability for Canadian businesses. I've heard loudly from them on how important it is for them and their workers. That's what this continuity agreement will do.

[The Chair, Liberal, Judy Sgro]

Thank you, Madam Minister.

We will go to Ms. Gray for five minutes.

[Tracy Gray, Conservative, Kelowna—Lake Country, BC]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Minister, you mentioned several times over the last week that this agreement is not a cut and paste, even though it is a rollover. What changes, specifically, are in this agreement that make it not a cut and paste?

[Mary Ng, Liberal, Markham—Thornhill, ON]

The agreement is between Canada and the U.K.; therefore, it is a bilateral agreement. The officials, of course, have to make sure that this agreement between the two countries is one that is applicable and enabling for both countries. While it is absolutely an agreement that preserves CETA, it is also a bilateral agreement between the two countries.

[Tracy Gray, Conservative, Kelowna—Lake Country, BC]

Thank you, Minister.

Can you give an example of what a mitigating measure might be if the agreement isn't finalized by the end of the year? You said there are many mitigating measures that you can consider. Can you give us one example?

[Mary Ng, Liberal, Markham—Thornhill, ON]

I don't want to provide uncertainty. What I want to do is provide certainty for our businesses.

We are working on mitigating measures. I would be pleased to talk about them once that work is concluded.

[Tracy Gray, Conservative, Kelowna—Lake Country, BC]

Okay.

I agree that we have businesses that need certainty and stability. I don't understand how we can have certainty and continuity when we don't have a plan for when this will be coming to Parliament.

Just to clarify, Minister, you said that you haven't connected with the Senate. It sounds as if you haven't plotted out a plan over the nine days since this splashy announcement for when this would play out. For example, if it comes to Parliament on December 4, it would go to the Senate on this day, or if it comes to Parliament on December 8, it would go to the Senate on this day? Where is the plan for how that will be structured between Parliament and the Senate?

[Mary Ng, Liberal, Markham—Thornhill, ON]

I can assure you that I will be following parliamentary processes, as well as cabinet processes. As I said earlier, our officials are working very hard to conclude the review as soon as they possibly can. I respect that work. I will endeavour to make sure that this gets to colleagues as soon as possible.

[Tracy Gray, Conservative, Kelowna—Lake Country, BC]

That's still not any kind of a plan where we might have an example of different scenarios. That, in itself, creates uncertainty.

I want to ask about stakeholder engagement because I know that we've heard many times that there was a lot of stakeholder engagement previously, leading up to the original CETA. What years would that have been?

[Mary Ng, Liberal, Markham—Thornhill, ON]

We put it forward into the Canada Gazette in 2018. This is following that.

[Tracy Gray, Conservative, Kelowna—Lake Country, BC]

I'm referring to previous to that because we've heard numerous times that there was a lot of stakeholder engagement leading into the original CETA. What years would those have been?

[Mary Ng, Liberal, Markham—Thornhill, ON]

There was seven years' worth of stakeholder engagement to conclude and reach CETA. With respect to the Canada-U.K. trade dialogue, that was commenced in 2017.

[Tracy Gray, Conservative, Kelowna—Lake Country, BC]

What approximate year range would that have been? How many years ago would that have been?

[Mary Ng, Liberal, Markham—Thornhill, ON]

I don't have that in front of me, so perhaps I can get back to you.