Peter Van Loan

[International Trade, October 19th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, our government is focused on economic recovery and delivering jobs for Canadians. That is why this week we launched the fifth round of negotiations for a free trade deal with the European Union. Two-thirds of our economy is trade-based. That is one of the reasons that Canada has been successful in weathering the economic storm and posting the strongest economic growth of any major developed economy, any of the G7 countries.

We are focused on continuing that with trade negotiations under way with close to 50 countries right now, 8 deals already delivered and the 3 deals that the Liberals delivered in 13 years, we are improving them now and making them even better.

[International Trade, October 19th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, we are a trading country, a small market of some 35 million that requires access for our most skilled workforce in the world to markets around the world. That includes public procurement.

In fact, we saw the folly of the decision of provinces and territories to stay out of that area in the 1980 North American Free Trade Agreement, when we were hit with buy American policies. We do not want the same thing to happen again. We want to ensure Canadian workers and businesses have access to markets around the world so that they can deliver, compete with the best and have jobs and prosperity that result from this kind of free trade.

[International Trade, October 19th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, we are engaging in free trade talks with the European Union because it represents a tremendous opportunity, a chance to boost the Canadian economy by some $12 billion annually. That means jobs for thousands and thousands of Canadians and that means a better standard of living for Canadians.

We have traditionally protected our cultural industries. That is one of the positions we are taking at the table. We are very confident that Canadians can compete. We know that the European Union, with 27 member states, is also interested in protecting its cultural diversity.

[International Trade, October 18th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member is interested in jobs and opportunity, and jobs and opportunity in Canada depend greatly upon trade. We are a trading country. Our government is working to create jobs and opportunity by negotiating trade agreements right now with close to 50 different countries. This is in addition to the eight trade deals we have already concluded.

Our negotiations with the European Union promise to lead to a trade agreement that will deliver a $12 billion annual boost to the Canadian economy. The Montreal Gazette put it well when it said, “Nothing should be allowed to forestall the promise inherent in more open trade”.

[International Trade, October 6th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, our government has a very proud record of standing up for Canada and for Canadian workers throughout by taking advantage of the provisions that exist in our North American Free Trade Agreement. If the hon. member had been following it, he would have seen a number of very recent successes where Canada has won its cases in that forum. We continue to be successful in that forum.

We will continue to stand up for Canadian workers, for policies that are sound, and for jobs and prosperity in Canada as a result of the North American Free Trade Agreement.

[Mining Industry, October 6th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, I am happy to say where our concerns for workers and families are in Canada.

We want to create jobs for those workers and prosperity for those families. That is why we are pleased to see Export Development Canada providing a loan that will allow Vale to purchase hundreds of thousands of dollars of equipment manufactured by Canadian workers here in Canada for use all around the world.

It is a proud story of Canadian exporting success that creates jobs and prosperity for Canadians at home. That is our priority for Canadian workers.

[International Trade, October 5th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, this complaint that was raised by the company as a result of an action by the Newfoundland and Labrador government was settled in the best interests of Canadian taxpayers. Our responsibility is to look out for the bottom line best interests of Canadian taxpayers and ensure that we keep in place a trade agreement that has resulted in tremendous benefits to Canada.

There has been a significant increase in our trade with the United States, which has almost doubled, and our trade with Mexico has gone up almost five times. What does that mean? It means that we have millions of Canadians working together as a result of that trade agreement. We want to defend it, keep it in place and protect its benefits for all Canadians.

[International Trade, October 5th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, we believe it makes sense for governments in Canada to actually be responsible for the actions they undertake.

When we undertake international trade agreements on behalf of all Canadians, that also includes actions for the provinces. We have to defend them in the World Trade Organization. However, when those are provincial policies, we believe the provincial government should have responsibility for the policies it undertakes.

That is something we are trying to work together on. That is the way Canada should work. The provincial governments, territorial governments and the federal government should work together responsibly to ensure our trade agreements are sound.

[International Trade, October 5th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, as I already said, the government of Panama has already agreed to respect the OECD requirements.

It has agreed to take on those obligations.

Our priority is to deliver jobs and prosperity for Canadians and we are entering into these agreements in order to do that. Greater free trade means greater jobs, greater opportunity and greater prosperity for Canadians. In fact, by bringing Panama more and more into that system, we are doing, what so many other countries, including those in the European Union are doing, we are delivering results for Canadian workers.

[International Trade, October 5th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, the government of Panama has made a commitment to follow the OECD requirements for transparency and tax information sharing. We encourage that and we are there to help them do it.

However, it is important for us to create opportunities for Canadian workers and Canadian companies to succeed by trading everywhere but especially in the Americas where we are carving out a special role with free trade agreements with Colombia, which the hon. member's party did not support, Peru, Mexico, Costa Rica and further negotiations under way.

We are delivering jobs and prosperity for Canadian workers and businesses.