West Vancouver Volunteer  Madam Speaker, two weeks ago, Liz Byrd won the West Vancouver Chamber of Commerce Lifetime Achievement Award. Liz is the foundation of education, the arts, civic engagement, environmental conservation, and women in politics in West Vancouver. She is a founder of Collingwood School and of the Kay Meek Arts Centre Trust.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, the reason I chose to explain the model of the Pacific Autism Family Network is to reinforce what I think every member of this House is saying. There are many groups. It is such a personal journey for people. The service that we can provide to Canadians is to figure out how these networks work best together, and work most efficiently and most effectively.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, once again I would like to thank the hon. member for bringing this motion to the floor of the House of Commons today. I think it will be a discussion that is very closely watched by Canadians, those who are affected by autism spectrum disorder and by our compassionate society.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for the clarification and for recognizing the work I put into my speech. As you know, this is so important to Canadians. It was certainly talked about in the last election. With regard to our government's position, we are absolutely taking advantage of the great work that was done by the network and we will come forward in a way that represents exactly the spirit of this motion in due time.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I will be splitting my time with the member for Argenteuil—La Petite-Nation. It is a pleasure and an important challenge for all of us to discuss the motion tabled by the hon. member for Edmonton—Wetaskiwin related to autism spectrum disorder. I would like to thank the hon. member for his ongoing efforts in raising awareness about the needs of individuals and families affected by autism spectrum disorder.

Business of Supply  Madam Chair, I would ask him to comment on the Asia–Pacific region and the importance to Canadian exporters.

Business of Supply  Madam Chair, I will present for about eight minutes, followed by questions for the minister. This government is committed to increasing trade and attracting job-creating investments in Canada, expanding trade with fast-growing markets, and, a new government priority, advancing Canada's progressive trade agenda.

Business of Supply  Madam Chair, tomorrow is Vyshyvanka Day, uniting Ukrainians all over the world. Would the minister tell us how the Canada-Ukraine free trade agreement will bring us closer together?

Business of Supply  Madam Chair, last year the former minister of international trade worked extremely hard on CETA. Her parliamentary secretary travelled from coast to coast to coast to conduct consultations with Canadians. This year the new minister and I have met with indigenous groups in Winnipeg, auto manufacturers and furniture importers in Toronto, women business leaders from Montreal, and lobster fishers in Atlantic Canada, for example.

Business of Supply  Madam Chair, we know that a lot of focus is on Europe, with CETA, and also on the Asia-Pacific and fast-growing markets like China, Japan, and India, but there are also markets in the south where the government could develop beneficial trade relations. The Mercosur group, formed of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay, is a good example of these countries with which we could pursue a free trade agreement.

Questions on the Order Paper  Mr. Speaker, with regard to (a), for information related to the minister’s trip to the UAE, Qatar, and India, members may refer to these documents: a news release entitled “Minister Champagne wraps up first visit to Middle East and India to advance economic partnerships”, found at https://www.canada.ca/en/ global-affairs/news/2017/03/ minister_champagnewrapsupfirstvisittomiddleeastandindiatoadvance.html, and “Minister Champagne to travel to the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and India”, found at https://www.canada.ca/en/global-affairs/ news/ 2017/02/ minister_champagnetotraveltounitedarabemiratesqatarandindia.html.

Canadian Ports  Mr. Speaker, it is exciting to recognize Canada's 18 world-class port authorities in recognition of Western Hemisphere Ports Day, because our ports create 250,000 direct and indirect jobs and are responsible for $400 billion in trade each and every year. Half of that, $200 billion, flows through Vancouver, creating $6.1 billion in wages for Canadians.

International Trade  Mr. Speaker, let me remind the member what John Baird said on February 27. He said that the direction in which the government is going in terms of our relationship with China is good news for western Canada. In this case, he is right. Already our efforts have resulted in market access for Canada's $2-billion canola industry.

International Trade  Mr. Speaker, Canada is a Pacific nation, and we want to expand our trading relationships with the Asia-Pacific area, including China. As announced by the Prime Minister in September, we are in exploratory talks. This is essential to determining whether there is sufficient interest on the part of Canadians and whether this is to our benefit.

National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians Act  Mr. Speaker, as the member knows, this whole process is much more than a campaign commitment. This process is about engaging parliamentarians and the country in order to address what was broadly perceived as excessive use of power under Bill C-51. Bill C-22 takes a significant step forward by providing that kind of oversight.