As for the numerous international agreements that were signed, it is true that, at some point, we begin to wonder about what is going on. I remind the NDP member that one the candidates for the Conservative Party leadership, Mr. Orchard, raised that issue and often said “To regain our sovereignty”.
This makes us realize that we will have to be much more sensitive to what is going on when the time comes to sign futures international agreements.
Do we feel we are losing part of our sovereignty at the expense of globalization? We must never forget that we cannot afford to lose that sovereignty. If that concern surfaces, then we will have to react.
Earlier, I mentioned that we must face international competition even within our country. This may sound strange, but there is international competition within a country. Such is the result of the many treaties that we signed.
I am not saying we should revisit the agreements that we signed in the past. We made the right decisions. However, opening markets through international agreements such as those does carry consequences. It impacts on those who live in our country. Some people benefited from these treaties, but let us not forget that others were adversely affected.
If we are aware of that, then we can continue to be a key player on the international scene, while being even more sensitive to the impact of any agreement or contract that is ratified.