Mr. Speaker, today the Coalition for a Secure and Trade Efficient Border, including the Canadian manufacturers and exporters, the chamber of commerce and the CFIB, call on the government to take a commonsense approach to customs and border management.
The coalition has been out ahead of the government in proposing ways to ease congestion and secure borders through the use of technology, pre-clearance and better co-operation between the Canadian and U.S. governments.
It is time the Solicitor General of Canada, the Minister for International Trade and, above all, the Prime Minister establish a high level and ongoing dialogue with Canadian industry.
America listens to proactive governments. The Canadian way is to take initiatives and to make proposals. The Progressive Conservative Party of Canada did this with free trade. We now trade $1.7 billion a day with the Americans. Last month the PC/DR coalition unveiled our plan for public protection and border management.
Today, the Coalition for a Security and Trade Efficient Border gave the government 77 ways to act better. When will the government act on this set of proactive recommendations that follow similar recommendations that the PC/DR coalition proposed last month?