International Trade Committee on March 27th, 2023

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

I'll make a final point on that. It's why we updated the responsible business conduct strategy—to work with Canadian companies operating abroad so they can be more resilient. Crown corporations, of course, are also doing this work.

[Tony Baldinelli, Conservative, Niagara Falls, ON]

Minister, it has been 18 months. Has that legislation been drafted? Has cabinet been examining draft legislation at all?

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

The Minister of Labour is certainly on top of this and has been doing quite a bit of work on this front.

[Tony Baldinelli, Conservative, Niagara Falls, ON]

Minister, why can the U.S. take action in the Xinjiang region on forced labour and we're incapable of taking such action?

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

We absolutely are taking action. There's a declaration that all Canadian companies must provide to the Canadian trade commissioner service as well as to Export Development Canada in order to be provided services by the trade commissioner service.

Every company I talk to tells me how valuable it is to be able to work with a Canadian company where they operate around the world. This service is extremely important to Canadian companies. What we're doing is that we are working with Canadian companies so that they are building up resilient supply chains so they can be more resilient in ensuring that their supply chains are clean.

[Tony Baldinelli, Conservative, Niagara Falls, ON]

I will take that as being nothing.

Minister, again, I will go back to your mandate letter. Point three speaks to leading Canada's efforts to combat protectionism, unfair trade practices and economic coercion around the world.

Minister, nowhere in your mandate letter does it talk about the softwood lumber agreement with the United States and efforts by this Canadian government to resolve that.

Do you not believe that, after eight years, it should be resolved? Do you not believe it should have been included in your mandate letter?

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

I welcome everything in my mandate letter, and I'm so pleased to be able to work on behalf of Canadians, businesses and colleagues around the world to open up markets for Canadians. I won't repeat the numbers that I did earlier in my remarks about how well those relationships are taking place.

Of course, softwood lumber is important. Of course, I place that as a priority. Of course, that is why I have been working with the industry. Of course, that's why and the Prime Minister raised it with the President last week.

[Tony Baldinelli, Conservative, Niagara Falls, ON]

It's eight years. Simply put, Minister, if it's a priority, why eight years? Again, to my colleague's comments earlier, the lumber sector representing west coast and east coast has come together nationally and asked for the appointment of a joint emissary such as former ambassador David MacNaughton.

What are your thoughts on that?

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

I'm happy to take any solutions and all solutions, particularly when they come from Canadian industry.

[Tony Baldinelli, Conservative, Niagara Falls, ON]

Will you implement it?

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

My commitment is very clear. We are going to work with the United States and with our sector to try to find a resolution.

In a relationship that is $2.5 billion every single day, lots of things go right but there are issues. We are going to have to keep working on those issues, and we're going to have to be persistent on them. That is my commitment to the sector.

[The Chair, Liberal, Judy Sgro]

Thank you very much, Minister.

Minister, would you please mute yourself in between, in case you happen to sneeze? It's difficult for the interpreters.

Go ahead, Ms. Dhillon, please.

[Anju Dhillon, Liberal, Dorval—Lachine—LaSalle, QC]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you to the minister for being here today.

Over the past few months, Minister Ng, you've led some women's trade missions. Can you share some stories of success, or some examples of women entrepreneurs who have benefited from participating in these women-led trade missions?

Thank you.

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

Thank you so much for that question. How did you know that's probably one of my favourite questions?

The most recent women-focused trade mission I led was for women in technology. There were about 40 companies that we took to the United Kingdom. These are companies in the AI cybersecurity space. These are companies that are providing renewable energy solutions. These are technology companies providing things such as medical devices or biomedical solutions. They're real, dynamic Canadian companies, and we're very pleased to have led that mission to the United Kingdom so that they could pursue both investments and opportunities in that market.

Just a couple of months ago, I took about 175 companies to Singapore. There were many women leaders and entrepreneurs there as well. While on the ground, I had an opportunity to meet with some really terrific women entrepreneurs who are looking to expand and grow into Canada.

We've done a whole series of women-led trade missions around the world. We've gone to India, to South Korea, to Taiwan and to Japan, and all of these trade missions have one objective in mind, which is to support the growth of Canadian businesses led by women business leaders into these dynamic markets. It's very much a part of Canada's first-ever women's entrepreneurship strategy, which I lead today. That's about a $7-billion investment, and the return on that investment is $150 billion to the Canadian economy. In the latest report that I received from the women's knowledge hub, those numbers are moving.

We are closing the gap for women entrepreneurs who want to become entrepreneurs in the first instance, relative to their male counterparts, and we have seen an increase in the number of women entrepreneurs in our country. It's gone from 15.6% to just under 18%.

This is progress that is being made, but it's progress because of deliberate investments. For a minister like me, who has an economic portfolio, I certainly can't do this work of supporting women alone. The $10-a-day child care is a game-changer, because it keeps women in the workforce, and it keeps those women entrepreneurs continuing to grow their businesses. Paid parental leave is also a game-changer to enable women-led businesses to contribute to the Canadian economy and to grow the Canadian economy.

I don't want to leave $150 billion on the table. We're going to continue to work with Canadian women leaders, business owners and entrepreneurs to do this work.

[Anju Dhillon, Liberal, Dorval—Lachine—LaSalle, QC]

Thank you, Minister Ng.

Over the next few months and years, how do you see this evolving? How do you see these trade missions making further impacts and changes?

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

What I'm really pleased about is that it's $150 billion to the Canadian economy by doing one thing, which is adding women to our economy. Globally, I tell my colleagues around the world that it's $12 trillion in the global economy if we do this together.

The global trade and gender arrangement is something that Canada is a part of. We're there with countries like Mexico. We're there with countries like New Zealand, Chile and a number of others. I continue to work around the globe to create a greater coalition of governments.

We don't grow the businesses. What we do is create the right conditions so that businesses can operate and women-owned businesses can operate in ways that will support their growth.

That is the work that we are doing and we will continue to do.

[Anju Dhillon, Liberal, Dorval—Lachine—LaSalle, QC]

Thank you, Minister Ng.

The Indo-Pacific region is fast growing in importance. We know it has significant economic impact and is a major driver of growth and trade, especially when it comes to Canada.

Could you tell us, with the Indo-Pacific strategy that Canada announced, what this means specifically when it comes to mining? Do you expect it to grow our economy in the future? Could you say a few words about that?

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Judy Sgro]

Answer briefly, Minister, please. You have 30 seconds.

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

Mining is an important sector. For Canadian mining around the world, including in the Indo-Pacific, I had some really terrific meetings with mining companies that are looking to grow, particularly in the Indo-Pacific. That work will continue.

[The Chair, Liberal, Judy Sgro]

Thank you very much, Minister.

I will now suspend for a few seconds while we switch the panels and go on to the consideration of the main estimates.

Thank you to the department officials for being here.

I will suspend for a moment.

[The Chair, Liberal, Judy Sgro]

Pursuant to Standing Order 81(4), the committee is considering the main estimates 2023-24, vote 1 under Canadian Commercial Corporation and vote 1 under Invest in Canada hub, as referred to the committee on Wednesday, February 15, 2023.

For the second panel, we have again the Honourable Minister Ng, Minister of International Trade, Export Promotion, Small Business and Economic Development.

From the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development, we have Rob Stewart, deputy minister of international trade; Anick Ouellette, assistant deputy minister and chief financial officer, corporate planning, finance and information technology; and Annie Boyer, director general and deputy chief financial officer, financial planning and management. From the Department of Industry, we have Charles Vincent, assistant deputy minister, small business and marketplace services.

The minister made her opening remarks in the first panel, so we will go immediately into questions from the members.

Mr. Martel, you have six minutes please.

[Richard Martel, Conservative, Chicoutimi—Le Fjord, QC]

Does Invest in Canada have any plans to promote minerals that are essential for battery production but are not included in the critical minerals list? Take, for example, Canadian mafic phosphate, which is of much higher quality than the sedimentary phosphate that abounds on the market.

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

I'm sorry I can't hear.

[The Chair, Liberal, Judy Sgro]

I'm sorry about that, Minister. We've asked Mr. Martel to start his six minutes again.

[Richard Martel, Conservative, Chicoutimi—Le Fjord, QC]

Okay, thank you.

Does Invest in Canada have any plans to promote minerals that are essential for battery production but are not included in the critical minerals list? For example, Canadian mafic phosphate is of much higher quality than the sedimentary phosphate that abounds on the market.