International Trade committee  I think—and I touched on it in the presentation—just by lengthening out the patent process for non-generic drugs it's going to potentially cost employers, workers, unions, and our provincial government between $29 million to $56 million a year starting in 2023. That's going to ha

International Trade committee  I'm glad the question came up again, because I was going to ask for a point of privilege on it anyway. If I seem cynical on it.... One of your colleagues said there's been a lot of very tight consultation with key stakeholders, but it's very unfortunate—and I'm not talking about

International Trade committee  No, I shouldn't say not one of them. With one of the other committees, the advisory council that I'm on, I know we have a growing and vibrant IT industry in this province that is trading and working worldwide. Through those processes, we're supporting them.

International Trade committee  If the safeguards are in place. That's why I said at the onset that we're not opposed to this. It's just that there are a lot of unanswered questions. I like what John said, that there are going to be dislocations. We didn't do what he said under previous agreements. We've lost m

International Trade committee  None of them yet, because we look at fair trade as well. As I just noted, we lost industries. We weren't consulted on those, and hopefully we're going to be able to look at this one. When I reference the labour standards, if you go to the lowest common denominator, that will help

International Trade committee  I'm not suggesting you do what we do with the ratification of a collective agreement for the population of Canada. What we do with a collective agreement is we negotiate in secrecy until we get a tentative agreement. But before it is ratified, we have full disclosure to the membe

International Trade committee  To me, what you just described was what I see as consultation. If we want people to buy in—and I agree with the analogy John made previously that there were a lot of wrongs on both sides, because there wasn't a lot known on both sides—and we're going to do this and want to do it

International Trade committee  Clearly none were in Nova Scotia. There has been no consultation whatsoever on it; I think I would know, if there were any labour consultation in the province.

International Trade committee  It's not new. I'll start off that way. I come out of the shipbuilding and ship repair industry, and in our industry some of the more senior people have come from Europe. But they have come through immigration strategies. If we're going to be doing it and it's going to be a mobi

International Trade committee  I'm sorry about that. That's what happens when you try to get through in 10 minutes. We realize that the federal government has indicated that it would offset some costs, but the reality is that it's still going to be taxpayers who will be offsetting the costs if we do see high

International Trade committee  Well, thank you very much for the opportunity to appear. I certainly agree with a lot of what John has said, and particularly with the value of trade to this province and to the economy. So I want to make it very clear that we're not opposed to trade agreements. We have some con

Citizenship and Immigration committee  It takes more than just the provincial.... I think we need a strategy. It can't be one person at a time. I think we have to get a strategy. If we're trying to attract the people we need here that we want to become landed immigrants--as with skills and professions--then we have to

Citizenship and Immigration committee  It should be through an immigration strategy.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  Yes, rather than the temporary program. I know there are going to be temporary workers. That's—

Citizenship and Immigration committee  Yes.