Mr. Speaker, today we are celebrating an historic trade agreement negotiated by our government. Today is the first anniversary of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement between Canada and the European Union.
Exports and imports account for 60% of Canada's GDP. That is why progressive free trade agreements such as CETA are so important.
Canada's competitiveness depends on opening new markets around the world and making them accessible to small and medium enterprises in particular.
CETA helps develop potential trade links between Canada and the European Union. We recently learned that container traffic at the ports of Montreal and Hamilton has increased by 20% over last year. That is very encouraging news.
We put the interests of the middle class at the centre of our trade agreements, and Canadian businesses are benefiting from unprecedented access to half a billion consumers in Europe.
I invite my colleagues to join me in celebrating the first anniversary of CETA.