Mr. Speaker, while our economic recovery is still fragile, increasing the flow of goods and people with our largest trading partner will lead to stronger economic growth and more jobs.
Keeping our common borders open to commerce and closed to criminal activity and terrorist threats is the key to strengthening our sovereignty and solidifying our relationship with our southern neighbours.
The Canadian and American economies are intimately linked, with some 1.6 billion dollars' worth of goods crossing between our borders every day. Not only are we talking of goods, but people to people movement is also essential to foster this strong relationship.
Our co-operation is very unique in the world. The opposition needs to wake up to this reality.
On this issue, the opposition is acting like an ostrich with its head in the sand oblivious to what is happening around it.