Mr. Speaker, very briefly, on that point of order, the Conservatives themselves put the relationship between Canada and India squarely at issue. They commented, in fact, on clothing worn by members of the delegation. I would expect the requisite latitude to address the quality of the Canada-India relationship, including some of the very positive aspects our Prime Minister had the opportunity to discuss.
Two-way trade between Canada and India was estimated to reach $8.34 billion in the calendar year 2017. This represents an increase of 3.9% over 2016 and an increase of 30% over the last three years. An estimated 1,000 Canadian companies are active in the Indian market, of which 400 have a physical presence in our country. Despite this presence, there is a palpable sense that Canada-India trade could and should be higher than it is now, given that our mutual trade and investment numbers are low relative to the size of our respective GDPs.
Opposition members certainly do not want to talk about the significant outcomes from this trip, which included, by the way, a $1-billion two-way investment that will create some 5,800 good, middle-class jobs here in Canada. This is a significant investment that will absolutely help the Canadian economy.
India is the world's most populous democracy, one of the fastest growing major economies in the world, and a society on the cusp of a remarkable cultural, political, and economic transformation. On this side of the House, we practice positive politics, and we absolutely take the Canada-India relationship seriously.