Madam Speaker, I acknowledge that there are times when it can be very difficult to provide the type of answers the member is looking for.
We have a very competent and able bureaucracy that has the technical expertise to get things running in a form that ultimately will serve all of us well.
I do not know the details of what the member has just made reference to, but what I do know is that the federal government, not only over the years but in particular under the current Prime Minister, has made commitments to add further strength to our CBSA. We are doing that by saying that we are going to continue not only to provide financial support but also to add personnel. I believe the number is 1,000 CBSA personnel being added to our borders. That will go a long way in dealing with a number of the issues.
I would remind the member opposite, who is new to the House of Commons, that when I was in opposition, sitting not too far from where he is sitting, in a different building but with the same setup, it was Stephen Harper's government, and the current leader of the Conservative Party sat in cabinet when that government cut back border control services. There were significant cuts. I suspect that they had not only an immediate impact but also a long-term impact.
We should be concerned about our border, as the Prime Minister has stressed and as Liberal members have stressed the importance of trade. As the member pointed out, there is a great deal, hundreds of millions of dollars' worth, of trade going back and forth across the border. There are companies that rely on deliveries to arrive on time. I am very sensitive to this, and that is why I am pleased that we are continuing not only to invest but also to add where we can to ensure that we have better security at our border. Hopefully we can see more progress on the whole trade file.
In the long run, we will have more trade than we have even today and have had over the last number of years. Trade continues to grow between Canada and the United States, and we need a good, functional border on our side and also on the U.S. side, as I am sure the Americans also run into problems at times. The end goal is to make it efficient in order to make sure we are able to accommodate all the trade and commerce, as well as to hopefully at some point get tourism back up. I am hoping that will happen when we get the trade agreement finally signed off, as we continue to push for the best trade agreement and not just settle it for the sake of time.