Madam Speaker, I will be splitting my time with my hon. friend and colleague, the member of Parliament for Nickel Belt.
I will focus my remarks tonight on the importance of our Canada-U.S. bilateral relations, our largest trading partner and neighbour to the south. Tonight's debate is very important for Canadians across Canada because of the nature of our relationship.
On a personal level, I had the fortune to live and work in the United States for a number of years, and I learned a lot. Obviously, I came back to live in the country I was born in and have continued as such, but it was an experience I am richer for. It improved my development in terms of my career and gave me so many opportunities, and I am blessed for that. I made many friends and I have many relatives in the United States. I know how important our relationship is.
Canada and the United States have long enjoyed one of the most productive, collaborative, mutually beneficial bilateral relationships in the world. It is a partnership of neighbours forged by shared geography, similar values, common interests, deep people-to-people connections and powerful, multi-layered economic and security ties. Our two countries enjoy the largest trading relationship in the world. We defend and protect North America together. We are stewards of our shared environment. We stand on the world stage to respond to pressing global challenges together, which is especially true in times of crisis.
We know that the spread of COVID-19 has caused upheaval in both Canada and the United States, and we have taken unprecedented action to combat the pandemic, support our citizens and stabilize both economies. Last March, Canada and the United States arrived at a far-reaching agreement to limit discretionary and recreational travel across the border, an understanding that has been extended by mutual agreement.
The magnitude of this decision cannot be overstated. Ours is one of the busiest land borders in the world, with approximately 400,000 people crossing it on any given day and over $2 billion of goods and services flow between our two countries. The smooth flow of people and goods across this border is vitally important to both economies and communities on both sides.
In the face of such high stakes, our two countries collaborated in an orderly fashion and quickly arrived at an agreement aimed at limiting the spread of the virus. The agreement has resulted in a 90% reduction in the number of travellers crossing the border while maintaining the flow of essential goods. This collaboration set the tone for subsequent co-operation in getting our citizens home, ensuring the continued operation of our supply chains or assisting each other in the production and procurement of medical supplies and other essential goods.
A striking example has been our co-operation to procure personal protective equipment. As in so many other countries, Canada-U.S. trade in PPE is bilateral and reciprocal. Our collaboration allowed for the smooth flow of PPE across the border and into the hands of health care workers in both countries. Canadian and American partners are also working together and investing in research to combat the virus with collaboration on 15 different diagnostic and vaccine projects. Hundreds of Canadian manufacturers have retooled and shifted their production and provided innovative solutions to address shortages in medical equipment and protective personal equipment. This is critical for the health of both our populations.
Canadians and Americans have depended on each other for decades, from the Halifax explosion to the beaches of northern France in World War II, from the hours and days following September 11, 2001, attacks to the wildfires that devastated California and Oregon this fall. Canadians and Americans have faced the great challenges of the continent and the world side by side.
Today, hundreds of members of the Canadian Armed Forces continue to serve alongside their U.S. allies from across America. The job of protecting the North American homeland continues under the watchful eye of Canadian and American aviators, sailors, soldiers, police officers and firefighters.
Another element of our close collaboration is the intervening nature of our energy systems. We know that the United States is Canada's most important market for energy. In turn, Canada is the largest and most secure foreign source of energy for the United States, including crude oil, natural gas, hydroelectricity and uranium. This means that it is mutually beneficial to ensure this supply is secure, reliable and sustainable.
The government recognizes the critical role energy plays in our trade relationship. Jobs, economic security and competitiveness on both sides of the border depend on our bilateral energy trade. The Prime Minister raised Canada's disappointment on the decision of the United States on the Keystone XL pipeline in his telephone conversation with President Biden on Friday. The Prime Minister underscored the important economic and security benefits of our bilateral energy relationship as well as his support for energy workers.
A further element that unites us is our shared natural environment. For example, Canada and the U.S. share many waterways that mark or cross our shared border, from the Great Lakes to rivers such as the mighty St. Lawrence. The shores of these lakes and rivers are home to tens of millions of Americans and Canadians, and decisions made within the basins of one country have consequences for the other.
Hence, their joint stewardship is a cornerstone of Canada-U.S. relations. This stretches back to the Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909, the world's first environmental agreement, to the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, which continues to address the environmental challenges of the 21st century.
Of course, we cannot forget the essential economic collaboration that brings us together. While many of my esteemed colleagues will go into more detail on the importance of this co-operation, suffice it to say that our deeply integrated supply chains contribute to a distinct North American advantage and foster millions of jobs on both sides of the border. Cementing this advantage is the new North American Free Trade Agreement, which we were able to renew, update and modernize, even with an American president who could be a bit unpredictable and, shall I say, protectionist. That is the strength of the Canada-U.S. trade bond.
Finally, we also acknowledge that our societies face similar difficulties and shameful legacies. Canadians grieve alongside our American friends at the tragic loss of George Floyd and the countless others impacted by police violence around the world. These are not isolated incidents or elsewhere problems. Prejudice, discrimination and violence are a lived reality for too many people in Canada as well.
In the face of these injustices, we must be clear. We condemn anti-Black racism and systemic discrimination. That is what thousands of principled Americans and Canadians have been doing throughout our two centuries, and this is a moment to admire and honour their work. We hear the same calls for a more inclusive and just society here in Canada, where systemic racism is a problem every single day. Canada is not a bystander. As neighbours, this is a burden that our two societies share, and we must do better together.
In closing, our government will work with the new Biden administration to advance our shared objectives and protect, yes protect, Canadian interests as we have done for the past four years. We look forward to being able to talk with the new President more about climate change, trade, the COVID response and other shared priorities for our two nations.
In their conversation last week, our Prime Minister and President Biden recognized that both countries' fundamental priority is to end the global COVID-19 pandemic. They discussed collaboration on vaccines and acknowledged that the two countries' efforts are strengthened by existing exchanges of medical personnel and the flow of critical medical supplies. The two leaders discussed working closely together to defeat COVID-19 by responding to new variants and following expert advice.
The Prime Minister and the President discussed their shared vision for sustainable economic recovery, creating jobs, and growing the middle class. To that end, they discussed strengthening Canada-U.S. supply chain security and resilience.
It is clear the Canada-U.S. relationship can withstand and even grow in the context of extraordinary challenges. Moving forward, we must safeguard this heightened awareness of our interdependence and look for ways to reinforce our shared North American neighbourhood. The COVID-19 pandemic has further underscored the need to build on existing co-operation in the area of food security, for example, allowing the vital work of food production, processing, distribution and sales to continue, even in the face of enormous challenges.
The Canada-U.S. relationship is a model for the world. Let us pursue this great relationship with the U.S. as partners, friends, allies and neighbours. While it may be natural to focus on self-reliance, there is no way that Canada, the U.S. or any country can go it alone. It is too crucial to find partners whom countries can trust and who will be there for them when the chips are down. For Canada and the U.S., those partners are each other. That is how we build resilience.