Mr. Speaker, last year Canada received two unfavourable rulings from the World Trade Organization on its magazine policy. The heritage minister created Bill C-55 to get around these WTO rulings. This evening's vote on Bill C-55, the magazine bill, could trigger the beginning of a trade war with the United States, putting thousands of Canadian jobs at risk.
The official opposition has been alone in the House of Commons defending textile jobs in Montreal, defending plastic jobs in Toronto, and even defending steel jobs in Hamilton against the heritage minister's magazine bill.
In the interest of protecting Canadian jobs and in the interest of the current trade negotiations, why does the Prime Minister not use his common sense and defer this evening's vote on Bill C-55 until after the Easter recess?