COVID-19 Emergency Response  Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for her hard work on behalf of businesses in her riding, Vimy. Many businesses continue to be hard hit and are struggling with reduced revenues and uncertainty because of COVID-19. On Tuesday, our government launched the new highly affected sectors credit availability program, otherwise called HASCAP, as another way of providing a critical lifeline to our hardest hit businesses.

International Trade  Mr. Speaker, I want Canadian businesses and workers to know that we are actively engaging with our American partners at all levels and that we are always going to stand up for the best interests of Canadians. The Prime Minister raised this with the President on their call, where he emphasized that workers in the U.S. and Canada benefited from our integrated secure and resilient supply chains.

International Trade  Mr. Speaker, nothing is more important to us than working with our neighbours south of the border so we can indeed advocate in the interest of Canadian jobs, Canadian workers, Canadian businesses. Our record will speak for ourselves in our relationship with the Americans. We continue to work hard on behalf of Canadian businesses and Canadians.

Canada-United Kingdom Trade Continuity Agreement Implementation Act  Mr. Speaker, that is an important question. We have been fully transparent with Canadians throughout our trade dialogue with the United Kingdom. In September of 2017, our Prime Minister met with then U.K. prime minister Theresa May when it was first publicly announced that we were going to ensure a seamless transition of trade with the U.K. as it prepared to exit the EU.

Canada-United Kingdom Trade Continuity Agreement Implementation Act  Mr. Speaker, that is a very important question. Canada being a supporter and, in fact, a leader with respect to the Good Friday Agreement, I would agree it is good to see that the United Kingdom has agreed to that. As we go forward with new negotiations, we will have an absolute opportunity to make sure that we are listening to Canadians, and the perspective of Canadians, just like that offered by my hon. colleague on those negotiations.

Canada-United Kingdom Trade Continuity Agreement Implementation Act  Mr. Speaker, happy new year to my hon. colleague. We have a commitment through the TCA to get back to the negotiating table. I am very much looking forward to those negotiations with our close ally, the U.K., and to having areas of common interest and common ambition such as the environment, labour, digital trade, which is so important coming out of COVID-19, inclusion for small and medium-sized businesses and women's economic empowerment.

Canada-United Kingdom Trade Continuity Agreement Implementation Act  moved that Bill C-18, An Act to implement the Agreement on Trade Continuity between Canada and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, be read the second time and referred to a committee. Mr. Speaker, I am seeking unanimous consent to split my time with the member of Parliament for Outremont.

Canada-United Kingdom Trade Continuity Agreement Implementation Act  Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to rise virtually in the House of Commons today in support of Bill C-18, an act to implement the Agreement on Trade Continuity between Canada and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The United Kingdom is our largest trade market in Europe, and in 2019 it was the third-largest destination for Canadian merchandise exports worldwide.

COVID-19 Emergency Response  Mr. Speaker, I share the concerns that the hon. member has for our businesses across Canada, particularly those that have been so hard hit because of the pandemic. I thank them for their contribution to help all of us stay safe and to flatten the curve. This much-needed program is another lifeline to help our businesses get loans, 100% guaranteed, for $25,000 to $1 million, and for up to $6.25 million for those that have multiple locations.

International Trade  Mr. Speaker, I want Canadian businesses and workers to know that we are actively engaging with our American partners at all levels, and we will always stand up for the best interests of Canadians. The Prime Minister spoke to President Biden and affirmed we will be working together and consulting closely.

International Trade  Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister and the president have agreed to consult closely and work together. We understand that both countries benefit from the integrated, secure and resilient supply chains between our two countries. Canada is the number one customer of more than 32 states.

Health  Mr. Speaker, as I said earlier, our government and I have been in contact with the EU. We are continuing to work with the EU. There is no export restriction on vaccines to Canada. This is an important issue. We will continue to work with the European Union, just as we have throughout the pandemic, to ensure that in critical supply chains, vaccines continue to make their way to Canada.

Health  Mr. Speaker, our government has been in contact with the EU, and we are working with the EU just as we have throughout this pandemic. It is important that supply chains continue to be resilient and continue to be open. We understand and share the urgency of the hon. member about getting these life-saving vaccines to Canada as quickly as possible.

Health  Mr. Speaker, our government and I have been in contact with the European Union on this very important issue. There is not a restriction on the export of vaccines to Canada. We are going to continue to work with the EU, just as we have throughout this pandemic, to make sure that our critical health and medical supply chains remain open and resilient.

Health  Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the hon. member for that important question. We absolutely share the urgency with Canadians about getting vaccines to Canada, which is why our government and I have been speaking to my EU counterpart. We are going to keep working with the EU, just as we have throughout this pandemic, to ensure that our supply chains remain open so these important vaccines, and the continued delivery of them, make their way to Canada.