Ed Fast

[International Trade, October 7th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, we continue to stand with the people of Ukraine in the face of aggression from Russia. When President Poroshenko visited Canada last month he and the Prime Minister agreed that our people-to-people ties are the strongest in the world and that we should renew efforts to deepen our partnership.

I am pleased to report that members of the Kyiv Symphony Orchestra and Chorus are on Parliament Hill today. Music Mission Kiev has been sharing Ukrainian music with the world while reaching out to the widows, orphans and refugees of Ukraine.

I invite all members of the House to attend its Ottawa concert tonight at seven o'clock—

[International Trade, October 6th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I am not going to comment on internal German politics.

What I can say is that this is the most comprehensive trade agreement Canada has ever signed. Now that the legal text has been finalized and it has been released to the public, we want Canadian businesses to take advantage of that agreement now and position themselves.

In fact, I remind the member that it is this Conservative government that has substantially reduced the use and cost of government aircraft. I would also remind the member that President Barroso and President Van Rompuy are in fact the leaders of the largest consumer market in the world. It is no wonder that they would want to join our Prime Minister to promote that agreement to Canadian businesses.

[International Trade, October 1st, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, this is the most comprehensive trade agreement Canada has ever signed. Now that the legal text is completed and has been released to the public, we want Canadian businesses to take advantage of this agreement now. This is an important agreement that opens up brand new opportunities for Canadian exporters and investors, and we were very pleased to have Presidents Barroso and Van Rompuy join hundreds of stakeholders from every sector of our economy to promote the benefits of this agreement.

[International Trade, October 1st, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, obviously the member has not been following events. At the meeting of the EU trade committee just a couple of days ago, the new incoming trade commissioner for the EU said that she did not intend to reopen negotiations on this agreement. In fact, she said this trade agreement was good for the EU and that it addresses the EU's concerns over transparency and the right of member states to regulate in the public interest.

I would also remind the member that President Barroso of the EU also said this was an excellent deal for the EU. They have no intention of reopening these negotiations.

[International Trade, October 1st, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, as we said many times before, we will work very closely with the provinces and territories to address the issues that the member raises. We are very pleased that this last week we were able to celebrate the conclusion of negotiations and the release of the final text of the treaty.

This trade agreement is expected to increase economic activity in Canada by $12 billion. That is the equivalent of 80,000 new Canadian jobs and $1,000 for each Canadian family in additional income every year. This is a very good deal for Canada.

[International Trade, September 29th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, why would the opposition want us to cancel such a critical element of this event, the Canada-EU summit? We know that the NDP is anti-trade. Not once has it stood in the House and supported any one of the free trade agreements that Canada has ever signed.

On this side of the House, in a short eight years, the government has signed free trade agreements with 38 different countries, and there are many more to come. On this side, we understand how important trade and investment are to driving economic growth and long-term prosperity in the country.

[International Trade, September 29th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, this trade agreement is a historic one. In fact, last Friday's event saw the launch of a huge coalition of Canadian businesses and stakeholders who are committed to taking advantage of this historic agreement. The coalition represents hard-working Canadians across the country, from every region of our country and every sector of our economy.

It should surprise no one that the New Democrats would want us to cancel the event. They wanted us to cancel this event because we know they are anti-trade, anti-investment and have no credibility on trade whatsoever.

[International Trade, September 29th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, it is passing strange that the New Democrats would get up in the House and claim that they still want to have more information about the deal. A few months ago, they said they were waiting for the final text to be released to the public. We did that last week, and now we hear the same old anti-trade, anti-investment rhetoric.

On this side of the House, we know how important new opportunities for trade are to our Canadian business people, our investors, and our consumers. On this side, we are getting things done.

[International Trade, September 29th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to report that today we found out that the new trade commissioner for the European Union, Cecilia Malmström, just said that the CETA, the trade agreement with the EU, is very good for the European Union and that the dispute settlement provisions in the agreement address the EU's concerns relating to transparency and its ability to regulate in the public interest.

This agreement is going to add over 80,000 new jobs to the Canadian economy. That is equivalent to $1,000 in additional income for the average Canadian family every year. That is good news.

[Employment, September 29th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, the member referred to the comprehensive economic and trade agreement that we just signed with the EU, which is great news. Last Friday's events saw the launch of a huge coalition of Canadian businesses and stakeholders, which are committed to taking advantage of the most comprehensive trade agreement in Canada's history. This coalition represents hard-working Canadians from coast to coast to coast who understand the benefits of this agreement to Canada.

However, it should surprise no one that the Liberals would continue to undermine Canada's trade agenda. On this side of the House, we know how important trade and investment are to Canada's long-term prosperity.