House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2021, with 43% of the vote.
International Trade April 21st, 2016
Mr. Speaker, we support Canada's primary metal manufacturing industry and we will defend the interests of Canadian businesses. Imposing restrictions on Canadian exports will not help resolve global overcapacity. Canada and the U.S. must resolve the overcapacity issue in a strategic, comprehensive manner in the interest of all our workers.
Business of Supply April 21st, 2016
Mr. Speaker, that is a great question, and I thank the hon. member for his question and for his passion.
The speeches made by the government members need to be taken as a whole.
Since the resolution centres on the basic presumption that free trade agreements are bad, my role was to clarify the fact that free trade agreements can actually be very positive for Canada's economy, and I hope I succeeded in doing so.
The issue of diafiltered milk is quite complex. It is not as simple as the opposition claims. Plus, we inherited a very bad situation from the previous government, which did nothing for five years.
We are trying to resolve the issue. We are working very hard on it, in collaboration with the industry and, of course, with all stakeholders involved.
Business of Supply April 21st, 2016
Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for Berthier—Maskinongé for her question.
The first line of today's motion is about the negative impact of trade agreements. My goal was to emphasize that international free trade agreements also have very positive impacts, and that is part of the motion.
With respect to diafiltered milk, we are working hard to find solutions. If it were as simple as our friends across the way suggest, the previous government would have resolved the issue. However, it is not that simple.
There are different interpretations, and that is why we are working hard to find a fair and equitable solution.
Business of Supply April 21st, 2016
Mr. Speaker, I am thankful for the opportunity to address the House on this very important issue.
I would first like to underline the work that is being done by both the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and the parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food.
I want to thank all the members of the Liberal caucus, and rural members. They are working very hard. I want to assure the members that the parliamentary secretary, especially, is working so hard that he has done much more than was done by the other government over the last five years.
Canada has always depended heavily on international trade and investment for its economic well-being. We live in a vast country with a relatively small population, and we enjoy a high standard of living. We produce more goods and services than Canadians consume. As a result, we sell our products and services abroad, which helps maintain a strong economy.
We strive to maintain and expand access to foreign markets, since an open trade and investment environment allows companies to prosper and provide better middle-class jobs. The government is committed to developing trade in Canada and attracting investment that creates jobs in our country.
In Canada, one in five jobs is generated by trade. In 2014, Canadian exports of goods and services represented just under one third of our GDP. More than 40,000 Canadian companies, mostly small and medium-sized companies, are exporters. Canadian consumers also reap the benefits of international trade, which gives them a greater variety of goods at better prices. Furthermore, we know that companies that participate in international trade are more innovative and have higher productivity.
Against a backdrop of slowing global economic growth, it is important for Canada to continue to strengthen our competitive position and extend our reach, including to new markets. The competitiveness of Canadian businesses in the international marketplace will be enhanced by breaking down barriers to trade, both internal and abroad, and providing the appropriate tools and policy framework that allow Canadian exporters to take advantage of new trade opportunities.
Canada employs a variety of trade policy tools to do this. These trade tools improve operating conditions for our firms by committing countries to transparent, rules-based systems. This helps establish a more predictable environment for trade and investment.
Free trade agreements open markets to new opportunities but also give rise to concerns, sometimes about the concessions that have to be made. It is important to remember that Canada has always been a trading nation, and the government will continue to pursue opportunities while protecting Canada's interests. This government has not wavered in its commitment to supply management or the people who earn their livelihoods in these sectors—far from it.
The three pillars of our domestic system of supply management—namely, production controls, import controls, and price controls—have been maintained in all our free trade agreements. In addition, the Minister of International Trade has been tasked by the Prime Minister himself to continue to promote Canadian agricultural interests during future trade negotiations.
We are very aware of the issues with enforcement of our rules surrounding supply management. As my colleague, the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, has repeated numerous times in the House and elsewhere, this government supports supply management, and we are working hard with the industry to find a long-term solution to this question.
Let me say a few words about CETA.
The European Union is Canada's second-largest trade and investment partner and its relationship with our country is of fundamental importance. The European Union is the largest market in the world, with 500 million people in 28 countries and a combined GDP of about $20 trillion.
The Canada–Europe Comprehensive and Economic Trade Agreement is a benchmark model. We also addressed Canadians' concerns regarding investment protection and dispute resolution by establishing in the agreement stronger provisions on the right to regulate of all levels of government and creating a dispute resolution system that is fairer, more transparent, and more objective. We are pleased that this progressive agreement is now moving towards implementation next year.
Canada will be a leader that respects the guiding principles of international investment in the 21st century, and the comprehensive economic trade agreement has laid a solid foundation to that end.
The government believes that the agreement will have many positive spinoffs for the Canadian economy, including the agricultural sector, and for all Canadians.
When the agreement takes effect, 98% of EU tariff lines on Canadian goods will be duty-free. Once the tariffs have been phased out, seven years after the agreement comes into effect, this percentage will be 99%, including more than 95% of the tariff lines on agricultural products. Eliminating duties will increase export opportunities in the European Union for Canadian producers, including exporters of agricultural and agri-food products.
Furthermore, as mentioned by the Prime Minister in the mandate letter for the Minister of International Trade, this government understands that it is important to work with departments as well as the provinces and territories in order to support necessary adjustments in sectors such as agriculture, which is supply-managed.
This issue is very important to the minister and the government as a whole. The minister has already met with the representatives of the five supply-managed groups, and she will continue to work closely with this sector.
We will ensure that the implementation of the agreement provides maximum benefits to Canadians across the country.
On the trans-Pacific partnership, our focus is to ensure that Canadians can have a good look at the TPP and that they can ask questions and express their views on whether the outcomes of this agreement are in the best interests of Canadians.
The government has made a commitment to consult Canadians before taking a decision on ratification, and that is exactly what we have been doing since we have taken office.
The Minister of International Trade has undertaken an extensive consultation process to offer Canadians the opportunity to provide their views on the agreement, and Canada's participation in it, before the government makes a decision on whether or not to ratify it.
The minister is also working closely with colleagues whose portfolios are implicated by the TPP to engage Canadian stakeholders and hear what they have to say. Since the Minister of International Trade was sworn in last November, the government has been part of more than 250 interactions with over 400 stakeholders to discuss the TPP, including all the provinces and territories, industry, civil society organizations, think tanks, academics, and the general public.
Parliament now has a sense of the consultations the minister has undertaken thus far. The engagement with Canadians will continue in weeks and months to come.
The government's TPP engagement has already touched many areas of Canada. Consultations are a good vehicle not only to learn about views on the TPP but also to have a constructive conversation on broader issues of importance to Canadians.
The government understands the fundamental nature of the agricultural and agri-food sector to our economy. That is why, as I mentioned already, the Minister of International Trade has wasted no time in meeting with representatives of all the supply-managed groups after taking office.
This government fully supports supply management, and we know that if a decision is made to ratify the TPP, we will need to work with sectors affected in the transition.
We are also pleased, as members know, that the House Standing Committee on International Trade is currently studying the TPP and in fact is beginning to consult Canadians in its own way.
As mentioned, this government is committed to being fully transparent and hearing the views of Canadians on the merits of the TPP before deciding whether to ratify the agreement.
On this motion, in conclusion, trade agreements are good for Canada, provided they provide benefits to Canadians. We think CETA is a good one; we are studying the TPP to see whether it is or not.
With respect to diafiltered milk, we are working with other members of the government and with farmers in the sector, knowing the complexity of the issue, in order to find a just and equitable solution for Canadian farmers.
International Trade April 20th, 2016
Mr. Speaker, the government is committed to consulting widely on these questions of labour mobility in Canada.
With regard to foreign workers in the TPP, the workers envisioned there tend to be professionals and others who have higher-paying jobs and higher education levels and who tend to work with companies that they are moving with in the normal course of business. It is not the same clientele that is envisioned by the temporary foreign worker program as we have known it.
As a trading nation, Canada's economic growth is directly linked to international trade. The government strongly supports free trade as a way to open markets to Canadians' goods and services, grow Canadian businesses, and create well-paying middle-class jobs.
The government has committed to bringing forward the TPP to a debate here in the House, and therein we will hear both positive and negative comments about the TPP. The fact is that we are committed to open consultations. This is a promise we made during the election and one that we are seeing through.
International Trade April 20th, 2016
Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for Elmwood—Transcona for his comments on the election of the Conservative government in Manitoba and the NDP's record in that province.
I will proceed to answer the question I thought I would get.
Our country depends on global trade. The reality is that the global trading environment has changed since NAFTA and the WTO, and there are many barriers that our companies face in getting products, people, services and even data across borders on a day-to-day basis.
On February 4, the government signed the TPP in order to ensure that Canada would remain at the table, and that the Government of Canada would be able to continue consulting with Canadians. As the Minister of International Trade explained in her open letter to Canadians, signing the TPP is only a first step and does not equal ratification by our government. Signing does not affect the objective of the Government of Canada to continue consultations, including holding a full parliamentary debate on the outcomes of the TPP.
The government has already met, and will continue to meet, with a broad range of stakeholders, including businesses, unions, farmers, civil society, academics, and youth. The Minister of International Trade has met with unions and labour associations such as the National Union of Public and General Employees and the Canadian Labour Congress.
I have met with a number of groups, including Unifor. I can tell the hon. member that we have not taken a position. Indeed, everything we hear is not positive. We hear both positive and negative. Therefore, he erred in his statement in that regard.
As previously stated by the member of Burlington, since the swearing in of the Minister of International Trade in November, the government has had more than 250 interactions with over 400 stakeholders to discuss the TPP.
The mandate of the Minister of International Trade is to consult Canadians on Canada's potential participation in the TPP, and that is what we are doing and will continue to do.
The government is determined to create well-paying jobs for Canadians and protect the integrity of our national labour market. Canada's general approach when it comes to temporary entry in its free trade agreements is to authorize the entry of certain business people based on a reciprocity principle. That means that temporary entry is offered only to trade partners who are prepared to do the same for Canadian business people who are looking to export and invest abroad.
Temporary entry usually covers visiting business people, investors, people transferred within a company, and highly specialized technicians and professionals. Furthermore, the integrity of Canada's labour market is also protected by safeguards respecting requirements on compensation, education, and experience.
Canada's free trade commitments regarding temporary entry are determined jointly by Global Affairs Canada; Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada; and Employment and Social Development Canada. This helps us gain access to foreign markets, while limiting access to segments of the Canadian labour market that are deemed vulnerable.
The government is committed to adopting a responsible approach in reviewing all the details of the trans-Pacific partnership.
Ministerial Expenses April 20th, 2016
Mr. Speaker, once again, the Conservatives are looking for a story where there is none.
The minister's role is to promote Canada around the world, be that through the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, the BBC, or other European media outlets. She has to talk to the media from time to time to fulfill her mandate.
Ministerial Expenses April 20th, 2016
Mr. Speaker, once again the Conservatives are trying to create a story where none exists.
The purpose of the trip to Los Angeles was to promote Canadian interests with one of our most important trading jurisdictions. All the rules were followed. All the costs were publicly posted, and they were in line with the kinds of costs incurred for travel by former Conservative ministers.
In fact, over the same November-to-March period in the last year, her Conservative predecessor incurred expenses more than $6,000 higher than hers.
Ministerial Expenses April 20th, 2016
Mr. Speaker, let me try this again.
Once again, the Conservatives are looking for a story where there is none. They did not really like the media, but we know that it is precisely the job of the Minister of International Trade to promote Canada and its trade interests around the world. She also took the opportunity to defend and promote Canada's policy on Syrian refugees.
Even the former prime minister in the previous government and the foreign affairs minister were covered by the American media. There are times when that is very important.
Ministerial Expenses April 20th, 2016
Mr. Speaker, once again today the Conservatives are trying to make a story where none exists.
It is the job of the Minister of International Trade to promote Canada's trade interests around the world. Following the APEC summit in the Philippines, she was proud to visit California, one of our most important trading partners, where she did what she was supposed to do according to her mandate letter, which was to promote trade.
The Conservative accusations about expenses are false. All the rules were followed. The costs were in line with travel by Conservative ministers in the previous government. The details were publicly posted months ago.