Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate the member for Abbotsford, our former trade minister, for his hard work and success in negotiating the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement between Canada and European Union, CETA.
This agreement came into effect on Thursday, September 21. That means there are now no tariffs on 98% of Canadian goods sold in the EU. More than 9,000 types of Canadian products can now be sold duty-free in the largest and most affluent consumer market in the world, home to over 500 million people.
In 2006, Canada had free trade agreements with only five countries. In nine years, successive Conservative governments brought that number to over 40 free trade agreements and concluded free trade negotiations with 51 countries.
Conservatives know how to sign deals that benefit Canadians and Canadian businesses. We are proud of the member for Abbotsford and proud of our party's record on free trade.