Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for Elmwood—Transcona for his comments on the election of the Conservative government in Manitoba and the NDP's record in that province.
I will proceed to answer the question I thought I would get.
Our country depends on global trade. The reality is that the global trading environment has changed since NAFTA and the WTO, and there are many barriers that our companies face in getting products, people, services and even data across borders on a day-to-day basis.
On February 4, the government signed the TPP in order to ensure that Canada would remain at the table, and that the Government of Canada would be able to continue consulting with Canadians. As the Minister of International Trade explained in her open letter to Canadians, signing the TPP is only a first step and does not equal ratification by our government. Signing does not affect the objective of the Government of Canada to continue consultations, including holding a full parliamentary debate on the outcomes of the TPP.
The government has already met, and will continue to meet, with a broad range of stakeholders, including businesses, unions, farmers, civil society, academics, and youth. The Minister of International Trade has met with unions and labour associations such as the National Union of Public and General Employees and the Canadian Labour Congress.
I have met with a number of groups, including Unifor. I can tell the hon. member that we have not taken a position. Indeed, everything we hear is not positive. We hear both positive and negative. Therefore, he erred in his statement in that regard.
As previously stated by the member of Burlington, since the swearing in of the Minister of International Trade in November, the government has had more than 250 interactions with over 400 stakeholders to discuss the TPP.
The mandate of the Minister of International Trade is to consult Canadians on Canada's potential participation in the TPP, and that is what we are doing and will continue to do.
The government is determined to create well-paying jobs for Canadians and protect the integrity of our national labour market. Canada's general approach when it comes to temporary entry in its free trade agreements is to authorize the entry of certain business people based on a reciprocity principle. That means that temporary entry is offered only to trade partners who are prepared to do the same for Canadian business people who are looking to export and invest abroad.
Temporary entry usually covers visiting business people, investors, people transferred within a company, and highly specialized technicians and professionals. Furthermore, the integrity of Canada's labour market is also protected by safeguards respecting requirements on compensation, education, and experience.
Canada's free trade commitments regarding temporary entry are determined jointly by Global Affairs Canada; Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada; and Employment and Social Development Canada. This helps us gain access to foreign markets, while limiting access to segments of the Canadian labour market that are deemed vulnerable.
The government is committed to adopting a responsible approach in reviewing all the details of the trans-Pacific partnership.