Mr. Speaker, we are very much aware of that situation. Our hearts go out to the mother and her children. We are providing consular services. Of course we are bound by the Privacy Act, so I am not permitted to say anything further.
House of Commons photoWon her last election, in 2015, with 55% of the vote.
Consular Affairs October 18th, 2018
Mr. Speaker, we are very much aware of that situation. Our hearts go out to the mother and her children. We are providing consular services. Of course we are bound by the Privacy Act, so I am not permitted to say anything further.
Hospice Palliative Care October 17th, 2018
Mr. Speaker, I would like to commend Denis Fafard, Lura Osborne-Smulders and all the volunteers at the Sunshine Coast Hospice Society for their leadership and vision to increase access for those on the coast who are coping with grief, bereavement and their end of life.
Home care and community care, and mental health and addiction services are top health priorities for Canadians, which is why our government invested an additional $11 billion over 10 years with our provincial and territorial counterparts.
From the great work of the medical assistance in dying panel, we learned that Canadians agree on the need for better access to palliative and end-of-life care, which the World Health Organization defines as meaning the best quality of life for people.
Canadians do not want to die in hospitals, but most do. Nearly half of Canadians receiving palliative care in a hospital die before they can be discharged for hospice support.
I thank all Canadians for making hospice support a health care priority and for our government's leadership in making it happen.
Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership Implementation Act September 18th, 2018
Mr. Speaker, there is no relationship that is more important to the government than with indigenous peoples, Métis, and Inuit, first nations.
This is an opportunity to discuss the new position of the ombudsperson for corporate social responsibility, because it takes into account the rights of indigenous peoples, particularly in the countries of the CPTPP and globally. Furthermore, with regard to culture, it is very important to our country to defend our unique and inclusive culture.
Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership Implementation Act September 18th, 2018
Mr. Speaker, the opportunity for women entrepreneurs is a key aspect of the CPTPP. While I had the honour of serving as the parliamentary secretary to the minister of international trade, I spent quite a bit of time in countries like Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei and Singapore, convening round tables of women entrepreneurs. That has been very well received. Canada is seen as a leader in supporting women in small business, and certainly the CPTPP is evidence of that.
Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership Implementation Act September 18th, 2018
Mr. Speaker, this is the party of supply management. We firmly support and will continue to defend supply management.
With regard to the CETA agreement, I was part of the cheese quotas and the compensation out of regard for supply management. There is no doubt in my mind we will continue to defend it strongly.
Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership Implementation Act September 18th, 2018
Mr. Speaker, it is worth underscoring that in our consultations with Canadians, a strong dispute mechanism was seen to be very important, and that is in place. However, lifting off NAFTA, there has never been a more important time to diversify our markets. Certainly, we and the opposition are in major agreement on that. It is the member opposite who does not seem to fully appreciate the importance of the CPTPP and this opportunity to diversify our markets.
Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership Implementation Act September 18th, 2018
Mr. Speaker, our government strongly believes that the comprehensive and progressive trans-Pacific partnership agreement, or CPTPP, will help increase and diversify Canada's trade and investment in the rapidly growing Asia-Pacific markets and improve Canadians' economic prosperity. At the same time, the agreement will ensure that the benefits of trade are widely shared, in particular by making it easy for small and medium-sized enterprises, or SMEs, to take advantage of the opportunities it offers.
Exports are essential for the health and vitality of Canadian businesses and Canadian SMEs play a key role in increasing trade and economic growth in Canada. Indeed, SMEs are the backbone of the Canadian economy. They represent more than 99% of all businesses, 90% of all private sector jobs and 10.7 million workers and they generate nearly 40% of Canada's gross domestic product.
I forgot to mention, Mr. Speaker, that I will be sharing my time with the member for Winnipeg Centre.
Only 11% of Canadian SMEs benefit from foreign markets, however, and our government is committed to helping increase that. Exports are vital to the growth of Canada's economy. That is why our government will help small businesses expand into new markets abroad by promoting exports through the negotiation and implementation of the free trade agreements, such as the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, CETA, between Canada and EU; and now the CPTPP.
The CPTPP will enable Canadian SMEs to enter the dynamic Asia-Pacific market through agreements that simplify the export process and increase SME participation in global supply chains. This agreement will strengthen our economic ties with some of our current free trade partners, such as Chile, Mexico, and Peru, while providing preferential market access to seven new free trade partners: Japan, Malaysia, Vietnam, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and Brunei.
In addition, the CPTPP will eliminate tariffs and improve market access for Canadian companies, including SMEs. Upon implementation, 86% of signatory countries' tariffs will be instantly eliminated. This will apply to Canadian exports to CPTPP countries, with an average value of $28.3 billion per year between 2015 and 2017. Once the agreement is fully implemented, signatory countries would eliminate 99% of their tariffs. This will apply to exports to CPTPP countries that average $32 billion per year between 2015 and 2017. This increased market access will make our SMEs more competitive and position them for success. It will also create opportunities for Canadian SMEs to diversify their exports at a time when this is extremely important.
The agreement provides for enhanced market access agreements for our financial services and service sectors and a comprehensive set of investment protection provisions based on a strong dispute resolution mechanism for investments. These provisions will greatly benefit SMEs as they are disproportionately impacted by non-tariff barriers.
In addition, the CPTPP will be a first in Canada in terms of free trade agreements in that it contains a chapter that specifically guarantees that small and medium-sized enterprises will be able to take advantage of the opportunities it creates. This separate chapter highlights the importance of SMEs, which are the backbone of our economy and an engine of economic growth.
These provisions will ensure that our entrepreneurs and small businesses have access to information tailored to their needs, making it easy for Canadian companies to explore and navigate their way around CPTPP markets and prepare for their successful business ventures.
Through the efforts of the committee, as well as collaborative mechanisms, CPTPP signatories will be able to share best practices on how to support their businesses and to co-operate through seminars, workshops, and other capacity-building activities aimed at helping their businesses seize the opportunities created by the agreement.
The CPTPP will increase market opportunities for Canadian companies of all sizes and in all sectors and regions of the country. In the coming months, we will reach out to small and medium-sized enterprises across the country to ensure they have the knowledge and tools they need to take advantage of this historic agreement. At the same time, we will work to help Canadian SMEs to grow, expand their activities, increase their productivity and be innovative and export oriented so they can prosper and create good jobs for the middle class.
Asia is important to Canada and to our small and medium-sized enterprises. Indeed, that region's contribution to the global economy continues to grow and Asia's importance as a destination for Canadian exports has more than doubled.
The CPTPP is a cornerstone of our government's commitment to trade diversification. It will enable Canadian businesses to trade and invest in this dynamic and rapidly-growing region. Since Asia is a highly integrated and adaptable region, the benefits of CPTPP go well beyond access to new markets. This agreement will provide Canadian companies of all sizes with opportunities to enter into various regionally integrated value chains that are global in scope.
Ambitious agreements with high standards, such as the CPTPP, will help to strengthen the rules-based international system and its solid institutions, promoting global value chains and ensuring a level playing field that maximizes the benefits of trade for everyone.
By responsibly expanding our economic ties with our Asian partners, we are delivering on our promise to create economic growth opportunities that will benefit Canada's middle class. This agreement will create opportunities for Canadian entrepreneurs and small and medium-sized enterprises to expand their activities, prosper and create good jobs for the middle class. We are here to help Canadians, to help them move forward, to grow and succeed abroad, while creating an environment conducive to sustainable and lasting growth for all.
International Trade June 20th, 2018
Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, pursuant to Standing Order 32(2), I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the treaty entitled “Protocol Amending the Free Trade Agreement Between the Government of Canada and the Government of the State of Israel”, done at Montreal on May 28. An explanatory memorandum is included with this treaty.
Extractive Sector Corporate Social Responsibility Counsellor June 18th, 2018
Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the 2017 annual report to Parliament on the activities of the Office of the Extractive Sector Corporate Social Responsibility Counsellor covering the period from June 2016 to May 2017. The report was prepared by the Extractive Sector Corporate Social Responsibility Counsellor.
Business of Supply June 11th, 2018
I believe that each and every member of Parliament cares an awful lot about Canadians in distress abroad. It is egregious and unacceptable to make any of those cases a partisan issue.