Mr. Speaker, I am on an irregular device, unfortunately. I am using my phone because my computer crashed. As long as members can hear me and the interpretation is functioning, then I will proceed.
I was speaking to the importance of the trade ties that had been pursued by the previous Conservative government. We dramatically expanded those trade ties. It will be continually important for us to make the case for a robust international trade system even in light of the new challenges that we face.
One of the major challenges we face in the world today is how to respond to human rights abuses linked to unfair trade practices in certain countries, the use of slave labour and how we respond to that in certain countries in a way that is consistent with our values and does not allow our workers to be put in a vulnerable position in addition to that. That is why we should be focused on free trade with like-minded free nations like the U.K., with whom we know there are shared standards in terms of labour commitments, human rights commitments, environmental commitments and so on, that our trade is mutually beneficial, reflective of shared values and that we will not be undercut or undermined through human rights abuses or abuses of intellectual property.
One of the frustrations I have with the government with respect to its lack of focus is that it has not seen or prioritized these opportunities associated with free trade with free nations. In fact, the Prime Minister seemed reluctant about the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement initially when he came to office. In fact, he missed key meetings. At the same time, he was talking about wanting to have free trade with the People's Republic of China, with all the problems associated with that. Frankly speaking, we saw just how far down the government's list were the obvious advantages of the Canada-U.K. free trade opportunity. This is really the missed opportunity by the government failing to prioritize this issue. It has taken constant pressure on the government, pushing it to recognize these benefits and to prioritize this issue, to get us even to this point.
I would encourage the government, seeing the opportunities that exist, to look for ways to go further and expand trade co-operation with like-minded nations. There are many other opportunities among our Commonwealth partners throughout the world where we can look to expand trade ties in a way that is beneficial to Canada and Canadians as well as other countries.
I suggest that Canada should do more to look at the opportunities for economic partnerships with countries in Africa. Africa is a continent where dramatic economic growth has taken place in recent years. There is major demographic growth. Too many people do not yet perceive Africa as a continent of economic opportunity and a mutually beneficial partnership. There are many countries with whom we share history and languages and can collaborate with on the next step in our trading infrastructure. As we do that, we should have a focus on building a trade system that reflects our values and a commitment to the rule of law. When we see the Government of China expanding neo-colonial projects in Africa, it underlines the importance of us being engaged there, along with our partners, looking for ways to expand our trade ties and really recognizing the economic potential that flows from those partnerships.
To summarize, the Conservatives are supportive of this trade agreement moving forward with Canada and the U.K. It is frustrating to see the government behind on putting these things forward and not prioritizing important legislation like this. However, the Conservatives have always been prepared to lead, whether it is from government or from opposition, on issues of trade. We were pleased to put forward the motion to have this debate tonight to move this legislation forward. It reflects our desire and our commitment to work constructively in this Parliament when there are areas of legislation and priority that overlap between different parties. We are keen to seize those opportunities in the public interest, obviously not agreeing with all aspects of the government's legislation but seeking to lead and push forward in priority areas like this.