Mr. Chairman, a while ago the minister hinted that the Canadian business community had asked to be consulted on the question of the General Preferential Tariff. We are pleased to hear this and we can understand its position. The minister indicated that he was willing to go along with the request and that he would consult with the Canadian business community.
My question is the same: Does the government plan to consult with members of Parliament or will the minister, as he has been hinting since the beginning of these proceedings, let individual members of Parliament or the committee take the initiative of asking the government to consult with them? With respect to the General Preferential Tariff, does the government intend to pursue the same policies that it has been pursuing since the start of this session? In other words, does it plan to consult, or at least make some show of consulting with, members of Parliament on this issue?
The minister also implied that, all things being equal, the General Preferential Tariff was only a very minor aspect of our foreign policy. This may be true as far as we are concerned, but it is certainly not the case for developing countries seeking at all costs markets for their products.
I would invite the minister to reflect upon this point, and I would also ask him to be sensitive to the fact that-and this has been clear from the beginning of this debate-the General Preferential Tariff can have a major influence on our international relations. That is why we are asking the government today to consult members of Parliament on this issue.