Madam Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for his question. I am trying to explain to the Liberals and Conservatives that Mr. Obama got a mandate from the American people not just to preserve U.S. jobs but to increase real incomes, which have fallen considerably over the last 20 years and especially over the last five. Even the most partisan admirers of George W. Bush will admit that.
We should say, therefore, that we understand Americans’ concerns but have one of our own as well. Rather than expanding on far-fetched theories of unadulterated free trade that the Conservatives and Liberals like to talk about, we need to have very real, practical negotiations about iron and steel and propose a trade agreement that would be managed by both parties. In this way, both Canadians and Americans would benefit. It would help us save jobs and improve the efficiency of our iron and steel industry.