Madam Speaker, I would say that my constituents are very apprehensive right now. They have heard a lot of mixed messages from the Prime Minister. On one hand, he says that we are at economic war with the United States and will take heavy-handed language here in Canada. The next day, he goes down to America and says we need to “make America great again.” They really do not know what to make of the rhetoric. What all the businesses in my region talk about is maintaining our market access to their American partners.
Canadians across this country have long-established business relationships with their American customers and partners. We need to secure that while also looking at opportunities abroad. That is a good thing, but make no mistake; we cannot replace the American relationship, and the Prime Minister needs to be clear on that point, because it is causing concern by the many Canadian businesses that are reliant on their American partners. We have to maintain that market access first and foremost, which is going to require more political leadership and the government's being transparent about what type of deals it is cutting with the American administration and whether that serves Canada's interests well.