Mr. Speaker, we welcome U.S. trade representative Katherine Tai to Canada today. We expect discussions with her on subjects like softwood lumber, electric vehicles and buy America will produce positive results. In a letter to Ms. Tai, Congressman Higgins urged her to raise the government’s 1% tax on vacant, foreign-owned real estate with Canadian officials, as the tax violates the non-discrimination principles of CUSMA.
Can the Minister of International Trade please advise whether her lawyers agree with Congressman Higgins that this NDP-Liberal tax violates CUSMA?