Madam Chair, we know that a lot of focus is on Europe, with CETA, and also on the Asia-Pacific and fast-growing markets like China, Japan, and India, but there are also markets in the south where the government could develop beneficial trade relations. The Mercosur group, formed of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay, is a good example of these countries with which we could pursue a free trade agreement.
In 2011 and 2012, under the previous government, trade talks on Mercosur began, but unfortunately, they stalled. It was great to see the leadership of the Prime Minister when he visited Argentina in November and spoke about the importance of renewing trade talks between Canada and Mercosur. The four members of Mercosur have a combined GDP of $3.2 trillion and a population of 260 million. Bilateral merchandise trade between us totals nearly $8.1 billion. We are very glad to see leadership on this file and a path forward.
I wonder if the minister would explain how a formal free trade agreement with Mercosur could benefit Canada's middle class.