Mr. Speaker, I am proud to rise today in support of Bill C-18 and the Canada-Indonesia trade agreement, an agreement that reflects who we are as a country and where we are headed as an economy.
One in five jobs in Canada depends on exports and trade. We are talking agri-food, forestry, aerospace, energy and manufacturing, and we have a lofty goal. We want to double our exports beyond the U.S. market, double those exports around the world, and that is what we are doing.
We are a government focused on building: building infrastructure, building opportunity and building Canada strong. Across this country, from coast to coast to coast, Canadians can see and feel that momentum. Through our Major Projects Office, we are working to ensure that nation-building projects move forward efficiently, responsibly and in partnership with communities and indigenous peoples.
We are aligning approvals, cutting duplication and ensuring that major investments turn into real jobs for real people. We are modernizing and expanding our ports so Canadian goods can reach global markets faster and more competitively. We are advancing responsible resource development so that Canada remains a world leader in critical minerals and sustainable mining.
We are moving forward with projects like the refurbishment and expansion of the Darlington nuclear generating station in Ontario, which is an investment that will provide clean, reliable energy for decades to come, powering our growing economy and supporting thousands of skilled workers. As a member from Mississauga, Ontario, I can say that nuclear energy produces 60% of our energy here in this province. This is a great project.
These projects mean hard hats on heads. They mean shovels in the ground. They mean apprentices getting their first paycheques and experienced tradespeople passing on their knowledge to the next generation. Behind every one of these projects stands incredible, world-class Canadian companies, engineering firms, construction leaders and technology innovators ready to deliver excellence here at home and around the world.
However, building Canada strong does not stop at our borders. When Canadian companies grow, they do not just build here; they build everywhere. When they succeed internationally, that success flows home in the form of jobs, investment, research and prosperity, which brings me to Indonesia.
Indonesia is one of the fastest-growing economies in the Indo-Pacific. With a population approaching 300 million people and projected to surpass that in the coming years, Indonesia is urbanizing rapidly, expanding its middle class and undertaking ambitious infrastructure transformation. This is a country investing heavily in ports, transit systems, power generation, water systems, mining development and sustainable infrastructure. It is building new industrial hubs. It is even advancing the development of a new capital city to support long-term national growth.
The new capital, known as Nusantara, is one of the most ambitious urban development projects in the world today. Planned for East Kalimantan on the island of Borneo, it is designed to ease pressure on Jakarta, which faces congestion, pollution and land subsidence challenges. Nusantara is envisioned as a smart, sustainable forest city, powered by renewable energy, with modern transit systems, resilient water infrastructure, digital connectivity and green building standards at its core, which are all opportunities for Canada and our trade. The scale of this undertaking, including government complexes, housing, transportation corridors, utilities and social infrastructure, represents hundreds of billions of dollars in long-term investment and extraordinary opportunities for global infrastructure partners.
Taken together, this kind of growth requires world-class expertise. It requires engineering excellence. It requires project management to the highest global standards, and Canada has exactly that. Canadian firms are recognized worldwide for their expertise in mining, energy systems, nuclear technology, clean infrastructure, environmental services and large-scale project delivery. Our companies know how to operate responsibly, transparently and sustainably. They know how to partner with local communities. They know how to deliver complex projects on time and on budget.
Trade agreements are not abstract documents; they are practical tools. They reduce barriers. They create certainty. They protect investment. They improve transparency. They make it easier for Canadian firms to compete fairly and win contracts abroad. When we lower barriers to trade in services, when we protect intellectual property and when we ensure clear procurement rules, we are not just signing paperwork. We are opening doors for Canadian workers and businesses. We are creating the conditions for Canadian companies to contribute to infrastructure delivery both here at home and in dynamic markets like Indonesia.
To bring this all together, I want to highlight a local example. Hatch is a global engineering and professional services firm headquartered in Mississauga, in Peel Region. Hatch employs more than 10,000 people globally, including a significant concentration of highly skilled engineers, project managers, technologists and support staff here in the GTA. Founded in 1955, this company began as a small Canadian engineering firm and has steadily grown over seven decades into a truly global enterprise with offices on six continents and projects in more than 150 countries. This is a Canadian success story. It is what we want to see duplicated over and over here in our country.
With decades of expertise in mining, energy, infrastructure and metals, Hatch has built a reputation as one of the most respected engineering firms in the world. Hatch already has a presence in Jakarta, supporting projects across Indonesia and southeast Asia. It is there because Indonesia is growing, and growing big time. An agreement like this would reduce barriers even further. It would provide clearer rules. It would improve market access. It would strengthen investment protections. It would help ensure that when Canadian companies bid on major infrastructure projects in Indonesia, they do so on a level playing field.
Here is why that matters to families in my community: When Hatch grows in Jakarta, Mississauga feels it, Peel Region feels it and Canada feels it. It means more engineers hired here at home in Mississauga, more co-op students trained, more research partners with Canadian universities, more procurement from Canadian suppliers and more tax revenue to support our schools, hospitals and public services. International growth builds our economy and strengthens it for future generations. If we want Canadian workers to benefit from global growth, we must be present, competitive and have the right agreements in place.
Bill C-18 would do exactly that. It would support services trade. It would enhance investment certainty. It would reduce red tape. It would create opportunity. It would say to Canadian companies to go out there, compete, win, succeed, come home to the true north, strong and free, and deliver. It would say to our workers that their skills are world class, their expertise is in demand and their new Liberal government is backing them.
For all these reasons and so many more, I urge all of my hon. colleagues in the House to join me in supporting Bill C-18. Let us keep building. Let us keep trading. Let us keep competing. Let us keep growing. Let us keep building Canada strong.