Mr. Speaker, my training is in economics. I must say that many other arguments are always advanced on why the principle of free trade should be violated. It is not just human rights. There are all kinds of other considerations. We hear in this Chamber all the time that we must protect our culture. The list is very long. I have always been very, very skeptical of the merit of such arguments.
We heard this same government say that we should trade with Cuba because the only way to stop its dictator, its gross violator of human rights from carrying out his crimes is to open up the society through trade, increased exchanges.
The Americans of course are criticized heavily for saying it has not worked and it will not work. The only thing that Castro will understand is if he gets hurt in the pocketbook. Who is right? I do not know. I have sat listening to American senators and congressmen for hours on either side making very telling arguments. And because of my difficulty of being able to make these judgments and quantify them, I would say let us go for free trade and let the chips fall on the other issues.