David Lametti

[International Trade, February 3rd, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, we are going to sign the agreement to give ourselves time to examine it. The agreement is very complex. Obviously, consultations have been held. Some people support this agreement and others do not.

We are going to hold consultations, including in committee, and Parliament will have the last word.

[International Trade, February 3rd, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, the signing of the TPP is a technical step. The real important moment is the date of ratification.

Before that decision is made, we will put this matter to Parliament. A parliamentary committee will study it, Canadians across the country will have a chance to pronounce on it, and we will undertake expert opinion. Therefore, we are doing precisely what we promised, which is to study the accord properly before ratifying it.

[International Trade, February 3rd, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for Outremont for his question. The TPP, the trans-Pacific partnership, landed in our laps late in the election campaign. We have acted very responsibly. We said that we will study the agreement, and that is exactly what we are going to do. We need to do studies and consult Canadians all across the country. That is exactly what we are doing.

[International Trade, February 2nd, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, we are looking at all of these matters precisely because we promised Canadians that we would consult on the TPP. We are signing the agreement precisely to give us time, in order to put the TPP before Parliament for it to be studied in committee. That is what we promised we would do, and that is what we are doing.

[International Trade, February 1st, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, the TPP was negotiated in secret by the previous government. The NDP criticized that treaty without even having read it. We promised during the course of the election campaign that we would study it. We are signing the agreement precisely to study it.

We have consulted Canadians already. We will continue to consult through parliamentary processes. That is precisely the point of consulting Canadians.

[Forestry Industry, January 29th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, the softwood lumber dispute between Canada and the United States is a priority for our government. It is a question that has been raised at the very highest levels. We are consulting stakeholders. We are consulting the provinces. The minister has met with Premier Christy Clark of British Columbia. The Prime Minister and the minister have had conversations with their counterparts in the United States. We will do our best to ensure that there is softwood access to the American market.

[International Trade, January 29th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, we will sign this deal in order to proceed with consultations, as we have promised the Canadian people.

This deal will be studied in this Parliament, in front of parliamentary committees, and we will continue to consult Canadians from coast to coast to coast.

[International Trade, January 29th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question.

During the election campaign, we promised to undertake consultations on the trans-Pacific partnership, which was negotiated in secret by the former government and rejected by the NDP before they had even read it. During the campaign, we promised to undertake consultations. That is exactly what we are doing.

[Mylène Paquette, January 26th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, in 2013, Mylène Paquette, who is from the riding of LaSalle—Émard—Verdun, became the first person to row solo across the North Atlantic Ocean from Canada to France.

Her remarkable courage and perseverance during her difficult voyage inspired other people to overcome their fears and obstacles and embrace physical activity. She became a source of pride and inspiration to many in Canada and abroad. In December, she was honoured by the Governor General of Canada.

As her MP, I congratulate Ms. Paquette, a great citizen of Verdun, Quebec, and Canada, and I invite the House of Commons to recognize her accomplishment.

[Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply, January 26th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, I congratulate the hon. member for Niagara Centre on his first election to this House of Commons and on his very excellent maiden speech.

I would like to ask the member, in his role as the spokesperson for his constituents in Niagara Centre, if he would be willing to participate and team up with other hon. members, including the hon. member for St. Catharines and me, in my role as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Trade, to fight against non-tariff barriers along the St. Lawrence Seaway, which include the dumping of waste water in the seaway.