Mr. Speaker, at least I know what a socialist is, unlike the previous member. I am sharing my time with the member for Parkdale—High Park. I would appreciate a signal as I get to the end of my allotted time.
I am pleased to engage in the debate today. I must confess that I was a little surprised by the issue right from its inception. I am particularly surprised by the attitude taken by my friends in the New Democratic Party. The member from Burnaby stated a few minutes ago that New Democrats have been unalterably opposed to the deal from the beginning. While that is not inconsistent, it strikes me as being a little unintelligent.
We all know that Canada, as well as the rest of the world, is moving into a different kind of economic structure, one which gives a trading country like Canada enormous opportunities around the world. Our businesses are engaged in every corner of the globe and they are asking for some measure of protection.
I have been quite active with groups in Winnipeg that are looking at emerging markets in the Far East in particular. There are companies in Winnipeg that have managed to secure very substantial agreements with China. These companies are not large multinationals. They are companies that are currently doing business in Winnipeg. In fact right now there is a big delegation of people in the hog business who are looking at selling pork products abroad and making substantial investments in China, Korea and Taiwan.