My colleague says that the Liberals are born again. They are learning. Here they are in government embracing the free trade agreement for the good of all. We are glad to see they have learned the error of their ways.
How is it that we entered into a free trade agreement with the United States, the most aggressive, strongest trading nation in the world, and had not first broken down the internal trade barriers in Canada? It is like getting into a fight with the biggest person in the school yard and saying: "I am going to fight fair. I am going to tie one hand behind my back just to make it fair for you because you are so big. Oh, by the way, just in case you think I might whip you, even though I have one hand tied behind my back, we will have the highest interest rates we have ever had, a high dollar, and we will fight with you in a free trade environment".
It was kind of like a Monty Python skit with the knight that had a head and a torso but no arms or legs. He had the knife in his teeth and was saying: "Fight fair, fight fair. I can beat you". That is what we did. We prostrated ourselves by having high interest rates and by having a high dollar, but most of all we had not broken down trade barriers within Canada so that we would be more efficient before getting into the free trade arena, the global trade arena in the world we find ourselves in. It is absolutely essential the trade barriers be broken down.
This speaks to the nub of the reason we are not supporting the legislation. People would ask: "How on earth can the member speak so positively about the necessity, the absolute need to break down trade barriers, and yet they will vote against the bill?" The reason is that the government has the responsibility to provide leadership and to make sure we actually break down trade barriers.
We get together with the provinces and have months and months of gumming this thing. Nothing happens. The disparity between the provinces in the way they approach the issue is enormous. The fault honestly should not be laid totally at the feet of the government because the provincial governments are involved as well. When the Alberta government came to the table to negotiate the free trade agreement it had one page with one line on it, that there should be no barriers to free trade in Canada. Our neighbouring provinces, Saskatchewan and British Columbia, came to the same meeting with a large stack to protect this, that and the other thing. Ontario, as I am told, made significant concessions. Quebec had to protect everything including the dairy industry and everything else it had.
This is where leadership comes into play, but the federal Liberal government did not lead. Its mandate is to keep people at the table to ensure laws are made to best accommodate the necessities of our country in the future.
In conclusion I will point out what leadership is all about. The Liberals will look at this era in history and hope that the writers and history will look kindly at them. They will look kindly at them if they seize the opportunity to make history, not to be carried along by events and overtaken by them.