Belinda Stronach

[Trade, November 3rd, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Prime Minister. The Republican Party has secured the presidency, both houses of congress and a majority of the state governors.

The Minister of the Environment and the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence proclaimed their support for the other party. That party did not win. Given this outcome, they have compromised their ability to manage key issues of national importance with the United States.

What is the Prime Minister going to do to fix this problem in the name of Canada's national interests?

[Trade, November 3rd, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of International Trade.

The importance of Congress to the resolution of the BSE crisis, softwood and other trade problems with the U.S. is evident to all of us. Americans have now chosen representatives in both the house and the senate. There are at least eight brand new senators and various new representatives from border states like New York, Washington, Michigan and Illinois.

When will the minister travel to their home states to meet with these new players to make Canada's case right from the start?

[Trade, November 2nd, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, Canadian industries are suffering.

My question is for the Prime Minister. Were senior Liberal ministers and MPs, such as the Minister of the Environment, the Minister of Human Resources and the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence thinking of the Canadian lumbermen and farmers when they picked a preferred winner in the U.S. election? What happens to those Canadian interests if they picked wrong in their recklessness?

[Trade, November 2nd, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of International Trade.

Today is election day in the United States. Softwood producers have had $3.4 billion of their money confiscated by the United States. Canadian cattlemen, ranchers and others in the beef industry have been losing $11 million a day for the past 18 months because of the BSE border closure.

So far, the government has failed to produce any results. What will the government do differently tomorrow that it has not done before?

[Agriculture, October 27th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, it is great that the U.S. is making progress in its trade disputes. Our cattlemen, farmers and truckers find it especially galling that the U.S. can cut beef deals with other countries far away but not with Canada.

As I have asked before, would the minister publish a record of all interventions with the Americans on BSE, past, present and future so that Canadians can judge the government's efforts?

[Agriculture, October 27th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of International Trade.

Yesterday, the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food told the House that the Japanese consider the beef markets of Canada and the United States to be a single integrated North American marketplace. The Japanese obviously understand what we have known all along: the Canadian and American beef and cattle industries are far ahead of the government's ability to regulate them.

If the Japanese get it, why has the government failed to convince the Americans that the industry is integrated and that the border closure hurts both countries?

[Agriculture, October 26th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, it gets worse. Just hours ago Taiwan also announced it would open its border to U.S. beef.

The BSE crisis has now reached a level of desperation in Canada. Since the minister is unable to negotiate the opening of our border, is the minister prepared to proceed with the chapter 20 claim under NAFTA to get the border open once again to Canadian beef?

[Agriculture, October 26th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of International Trade.

Last weekend the governments of the United States and Japan proudly announced the deal to restart trade in beef and set aside BSE concerns. That deal was sealed in just three days.

It has been 525 days since our border was slammed shut. A Japanese day of negotiation is therefore worth 175 Canadian days. This does not seem right.

Canadian cattlemen and farmers would like to know what the Japanese and Americans did to open their border, which the Canadian government has failed to do.

[Trade, October 14th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, while the Minister of International Trade was in Vancouver yesterday admitting that “Canadians are missing out on opportunities” in emerging foreign markets, a global competitiveness report released by the World Economic Forum showed that Canada dropped from 12th to 15th place in its annual ranking of global business performance.

This continues the downward spiral which began after 1998 when Canada placed sixth. Under the Liberals' watch, Canadian exports are down, border problems continue to drive up costs, and drive away investment in Canada.

Just last week the Conference Board of Canada classified our productivity performance among the entire OECD as mediocre. It is the role of government to provide the right economic environment for our tax structures by supporting education, and research and development, so that Canadian businesses and entrepreneurs can compete in this fierce global marketplace.

The Liberals need to understand that trade is not about abstract numbers but rather about quality of life. Trade is our lifeblood. The issue of competitiveness will determine the future prosperity of Canada.

[Agriculture, October 12th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, the member is right. Obviously there has not been a resolution, as he mentioned, on BSE and softwood lumber.

NAFTA should be reviewed. There should be a better framework of fairness to take a look at whether we can come up with a quicker dispute settlement mechanism. It should not be allowed to completely devastate an industry. There must be a framework of fairness developed.

Our government could be doing more under chapter 20, in particular exploring consequences under chapter 7, when last summer the international standards organization, the OIE, the Office international des épizooties, ruled that there was no risk of Canadian beef. That should be explored but it has not been. Chapter 11 refers to fair and equitable treatment. The government should explore that as well. I do not think the government has done enough.