Mr. Speaker, it is May 10 and a couple of our colleagues have birthdays today. I want to wish them a happy birthday. We are going to share a dinner. They cannot share it with their families at home because they are here working. I want to let everyone know that we are still trying to remain whole even when we cannot be with our families, but we hopefully will make it up in other ways.
Recently I had an opportunity to ask a question of the Minister for International Trade. He is the Minister for International Trade not of international trade. It is a fine distinction. He pointed out to me at a trade exposition in Mississauga a couple of weeks ago that we are for trade.
In preparing for my intervention tonight I pulled out the annual report of the Export Development Corporation which has been getting a lot of attention in the House of late. I wanted to look at the section on increasing Canada's competitiveness. It states:
Canada is enjoying renewed prosperity. Unemployment is at its lowest point in 20 years, inflation is low and under control; private spending is up and fiscal deficits are down. Canada is experiencing robust growth, which is expected to remain strong in 2000. The economy is continuing its shift to the high-tech and services sectors that look set to dominate the 21st century economy.
The combined impact of trade liberalization and growing trade integration within North America have heightened Canada's dependence on trade—
It is that wording, our dependence on trade, that triggered the question. I asked the Minister for International Trade to give us some indicators of how we have benefited from trade and also to deal with the myth that somehow what we produce in Canada for export is ostensibly either low value added or in fact raw materials or commodities and that maybe we are not getting the amplification or the leverage from high quality export trade.
The minister gave some very interesting statistics. He said that our exports now total 41% of Canada's GDP versus 27% just 10 years ago. He also clarified that in fact our commodities exports were down from some 60% some years ago to a low 30%.
In that regard could the parliamentary secretary provide a bit more information about how vital trade is to Canada and possibly how this is going to translate into Canada being more competitive in a global economy?