Gerald Keddy

[International Trade, June 18th, 2012]

What sheer nonsense, Mr. Speaker.

As a Pacific nation, Canada's interest in joining the trans-Pacific partnership is consistent with our active, ongoing and growing presence in the Asia-Pacific. The Minister of International Trade has been very active on this file. He has met with all nine of the TPP countries and all have welcomed Canada's interest.

As a full and ambitious partner at the table, we look forward to helping develop a 21st century agreement that would benefit all of the TPP countries.

[International Trade, June 18th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member should have listened to the last question, but I do not mind repeating it.

It is very clear. Supply management has not stood in the way of Canada signing any of our free trade agreements with any country in the world. We continue to support supply management.

[International Trade, June 18th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, we know that the NDP does not support free trade agreements in any way, shape or form anywhere in the world. It simply does not support trade.

Here is the issue. Maybe the hon. member does not want to listen to the government side, so maybe he should listen to Wally Smith, president of the Dairy Farmers of Canada. Mr. Smith said:

Supply management has not stood in the way of Canada's ability to successfully negotiate trade agreements in the past and it is unlikely to do so in the future.

[International Trade, June 18th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, the question is sheer nonsense.

As a Pacific nation, Canada's interest in joining the trans-Pacific partnership is consistent with our active, ongoing and growing presence in the Asia-Pacific region. The Minister of International Trade has met with his counterparts from all nine TPP countries, and all have welcomed Canada's interest. We look forward to helping develop a 21st century agreement that benefits all the TPP countries, and Canada will be an ambitious partner at the TPP table.

[International Trade, June 8th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, the NDP's anti-trade record is clear. The NDP members oppose free trade with Panama. They opposed free trade with Colombia. They even stood in the House to oppose free trade with Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein and Switzerland. They opposed the greatest free trade success story, NAFTA. The NDP members cannot hide from their anti-trade record.

In challenging global economic times, Canadians know it is only our government that has a pro-trade plan to generate jobs, growth and long-term prosperity.

[International Trade, June 8th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I reject the premise of the member's statement. I reject his party's position on supply management.

I can tell members for a fact that there is one party in the House that has consistently stood up for and defended supply management, and that is the Conservative Party of Canada.

[International Trade, June 8th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, our government has been hard at work, opening new doors for Canadian farmers and Canadian manufacturers. We recently negotiated further steps toward opening market access to South Korea on beef. Our government remains confident that this decision will also help create a favourable climate that will lead to a deeper trade relationship with South Korea, a priority market for Canada.

[Canada-Panama Economic Growth and Prosperity Act, June 7th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I have to ask the same question to the hon. member that I asked to the previous speaker from the NDP. Hopefully, she will give a different answer.

The question is simple. We have negotiated this agreement with Panama based on the same template that we used in negotiating the Colombia and Jordan agreements. The agreements are practically identical, yet the NDP picks and chooses to support Jordan, apparently. We have not seen it support Jordan yet, but we will find out.

However, it does not choose to support Panama. It is in our own hemisphere. It is an area that certainly needs a hand up, an area that needs a good, fair and honest trading partner. My question for the hon. member is—and I do not want the nonsense about money laundering, because Panama is no longer on the OECD grey list—why support Jordan and not Panama?

[Canada-Panama Economic Growth and Prosperity Act, June 7th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I think there are tremendous opportunities in Panama for Panamanians. There are also tremendous opportunities in Panama for Canadian businesses and for Canadians.

The reality is that Panama is both the gateway to the Caribbean and the gateway to Latin America. It is the joining factor between the Atlantic and the Pacific. It is in a very enviable position in Central America. Nothing will change that. That is geography. Panama has a huge geographical advantage over its neighbours, and the only canal that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean.

The hon. member spoke about the complementary aspect of Canadian trade with Panama. There is a huge complementary aspect.

Last year, our exports to Panama totalled $111 million. That is small on a world scale, but that is extremely important to Canadian businesses and extremely important to Panama. We trade machinery, semi-precious stones and metals, meat, aerospace products, mineral fuels and oil, vegetables—primarily lentils, peas and frozen potato products—electrical and electronic equipment, paper and paperboard and pharmaceuticals.

There is a myriad of issues that we trade with Panama and a number of issues and expertise that we trade with Panama, with great opportunities and procurement in the twinning of the Panama Canal, the building of the copper mine, the copper-gold deposit in northern Panama. The opportunities are endless.

[Canada-Panama Economic Growth and Prosperity Act, June 7th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, it is not an exclusion of a simple rule. The reality is that Panama has made great strides in suppressing money laundering. It is off of the OECD “grey list”. It is moving in the direction that we want to move.

We have a double taxation agreement with Colombia already. For this trade agreement, that is what is required on our side. We believe the Colombians are living up to that.

The advantages of trade with the Colombians, the advantages of trading with somebody in our own hemisphere and in our time zone, are huge. We are a sought-after partner in Central America, in South America, in the southern hemisphere.

I can tell members that we need to take advantage of this, because the opportunity is now.