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Results: 241 - 270 of 270
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
On the TPP and on where we are, as you know very well, the TPP agreement was finalized during the election campaign. We came into government, and you came into Parliament at a time when the agreement was already complete.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
I know, but it's complicated.
We came into government when all the partners had concluded the negotiations. Our job now is to talk to Canadians, to hear their point of view, and very much to be part of the conversation between TPP countries, as I was in APEC this week.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
As I've said, when we formed government, we inherited a finalized TPP agreement.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
We inherited a situation where the work that the previous government had done on an impact study was largely restricted to before the negotiations, to 2012, looking at the landscape before we knew the shape of the deal.
I have instructed my department to look very closely into the impacts of the TPP, and also very importantly, into what the impact would be for Canada if TPP were concluded with Canada outside the deal. That work is ongoing, and I'm looking forward to its completion.
I am very pleased that as part of this period of national debate and discussion of the agreement, other Canadian groups are having a chance in groups around the world to come forward with their studies of the TPP. That's also a really important contribution to the discussion.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
We are currently doing our work on the impact of the TPP if it were to come into force and also—this is an important fact for the committee to consider and it's something that I asked the department to be looking at when we do our work on the impact study—we need to be very thoughtful of what the consequences would be for Canada if the TPP were to come into force and Canada were to be outside that agreement. That's the economic assessment that we're working on, and it's an important one for the country.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
That's a very important part of the process. I have spoken with Perry Bellegarde about first nations consultations, and we are working with the Department of Indigenous Affairs. David and I are very closely engaged in that effort. We have some meetings over the next few days. They will definitely be included in the consultation process, and thank you for pointing that out.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Thank you for the question. I do also want to point out since time has been taken up by various things that I do only have an hour this morning. Our Canada-U.S. cabinet subcommittee is meeting at 9:30. I am the chair of that committee, and David MacNaughton our ambassador to the U.S., has come especially from Washington to be there. So please bear that in mind.
You mentioned, Peter, the open microphone, and I really do want to, in perhaps a non-partisan spirit, congratulate the committee on having that open microphone innovation. I think that it was a response to your first week of consultations. I have had very good feedback from people about having the open microphone, so congratulations on doing it. I think you've set an important parliamentary committee precedent.
On Canada's entry into the TPP negotiations it's actually something that I raised in the House when I was like you all a trade critic. The reality is we together with Mexico entered the negotiations late, and one of the conditions of this late entry was that everything that had already been agreed we had to accept when we entered the negotiations unless we were able to get unanimous agreement of all the other TPP countries that we could reopen something. An area where Canada was successful in reopening, with Mexico, was that prior to Canada and Mexico entering the TPP had been an English language only document and Canada and Mexico succeeded in adding French and Spanish to the negotiating languages. Although very important for Canada, on really substantive trade issues a condition of entering—and it's the case with very many clubs—is if there's a group that's already there that's negotiated you have to accept what has been negotiated. We can't rewrite history, but I do think that's something we have to be aware of.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
I'm glad that you raised CETA. Let me actually start really at the beginning, which is that, as I mentioned earlier, when we were in opposition we supported CETA. We supported the government in its negotiations. We were very public and on the record and open about that, and I think it helped the government to have our support there when they were speaking to Europe. I did congratulate my predecessor, Ed Fast, when we finalized the legal scrub. It was very important.
The crucial thing about CETA, and a big difference, a big contrast, is the legal scrub was not finalized when we formed government, and in fact although the agreement in principle was very much celebrated a lot in Canada in September 2014, there was really no movement between September 2014 and when we formed government. We very quickly, once we got inside the CETA negotiation, spoke to our European partners. We understood that the agreement was stalled. We believe it's a really important agreement, as I said.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Yes, that is certainly possible.
Thank you for the question. I hope that my presentation in French was comprehensible.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Thank you.
As the committee knows, the softwood lumber issue is very important and very thorny. Our government is very much aware of the importance of this issue for all of Canada, including Quebec. We are working very, very hard on this.
As you said, when we went to Washington, it was imperative that we convince the Americans of the merits of our position. The President of the United States said that we had 100 days to settle this dispute. We are at a crucial stage in the negotiations and it was impressive to hear the president speak about the importance he attaches to this issue. He stated that the softwood lumber issue was going to be resolved, in one way or another.
I have frequent talks with Michael Froman, the United States Trade Representative, about this. As I mentioned, on Tuesday I was in Arequipa, Peru, for the APEC Summit. I had a one-hour meeting with Mr. Froman and softwood lumber was our main topic of discussion. Mr. Froman will be meeting with our Ambassador to the United States tomorrow to discuss it further. I don't know if there are any journalists in the room, but I have news for them, which is that American negotiators will be coming to Ottawa next week to continue talks on this.
May I reiterate that we consider this is an extremely important issue. We understand that and we are working very, very hard on it. I also want to point out that that our objective is to maintain stable access to the American market for our industry. We will continue to be in regular contact with stakeholders in Quebec and elsewhere in the country in connection with this. May I also emphasize the fact that we want to obtain a good agreement.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Like other people around the table, I know you, but I also know Randy, and I know our chairman, Mark. The last time I spoke to him was on his farm and mending fences.
We all have a strong personal interest in advancing Canada's agricultural interests in trade.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
I agree with that. I'm in close contact with our producers. The Canadian Cattlemen's Association was with me in Brussels when we went to speak about CETA.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
I believe in the importance of having agricultural representatives, and diplomats who are well versed in agricultural issues, around the world advancing our interests.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
I think that is an important question. When we talk about the economic impact of TPP, which we've already been discussing a little, it's important that our modelling look at two possible scenarios. The first is the economic impacts of Canada being inside the TPP, and we need to look carefully at the winners and losers inside Canada and the aggregated impact.
The second, and I strongly agree with you, is that we need to model, and it's something that I've asked the department to do that we're looking at carefully. We have to have a second clear picture—and that needs to be something as the study is completed that we share with Canadians—of what it would look like for Canada to have a world in which 11 TPP countries move forward and we do not.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Thank you very much for the question. Thanks for the point you make about consultation.
I know the nature of our Parliamentary system is that we have robust debates, and that's important, and I welcome it. On the point of the consultations, though, I want to say something very sincere here about the consultations. I think we all do have, really across the spectrum, an understanding of the importance of trade to Canada. I think we also understand, and my Conservative colleagues have referred to this, that there are protectionist tides rising in a lot of other countries. I truly believe that for Canada to retain real public support for our being an open economy—and that is in question in so many other parts of the world—it's essential for us to bend over backwards to talk to Canadians. We cannot consult too much. We really need people to know that there is an open dialogue, that they are heard. The work of the committee in open mikes, in particular, is so important.
Are you cutting me off now?
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Okay, I'll do that quickly.
I also totally agree on the small and medium-sized businesses. It's part of maintaining public support for trade. It's also really important because they are a huge part of the Canadian economy. They have a harder time plugging into trade than big companies. We have a program called CanExport. I think you all know about it, and this is something that we've worked on in carrying forward the trade agenda of the previous government. I am really proud of it. We launched it in January. Since its launch on January 5, we've approved $6 million. We have $10 million a year going into the program. We have approved $6 million already. How the program works is that it is 50-50 cost sharing, and you can ask as a small business—and please share this in your riding, I've shared it in my newsletters—
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
I have to stop, okay. It's a great program, though, and I do think we need to do more on that, and we're going to be unrolling an export and investment strategy that has a real focus and some more specific tools to help small businesses.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
To speak quickly to your preamble point on trade, another point I would make is that there is lots of research—both our own, but also academic research—showing that trade is a driver of productivity.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Right. Industries that are engaged in trade tend to be more productive. It makes a business more productive.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
In terms of the consultations, my own direct experience has been quite.... I've been hearing a broad variety of views, just as you all have.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Yes, I will. I think there is somewhat of a regional breakdown.
When I did consultations in Edmonton, particularly—we've talked about the agricultural sector—I heard strong support from agricultural producers.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Okay. Among areas of concern, I would say a big area, which you have heard here....
I think you had Jim Balsillie and Michael Geist speak to the committee. I've spoken to both of them. We had an early consultation.
I would say there is a kind of academic community “intellectual property” area of concerns. Those have been well articulated. I think there is an area of concern as well, and I think Michael Geist speaks to this, around the investment chapter and concerns with it.
You referred in your own remarks to the auto sector. I've heard concerns. I wanted to speak to people who work in the car industry, so I had a meeting in Oakville with Unifor workers, and I've heard both concerns voiced there, at that union worker level.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
That's okay. You asked me to list five, so I was trying to go through them for you.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
I think it would be a good idea, but I think my time is up.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
I have to leave now. I'm sorry. The Canada-U.S. cabinet committee is really important, and I'm really pleased the ambassador is here to speak to us.
Thanks for your questions. As a final comment, and I mean this really sincerely, not politically, I think it's very important that this is a cross-party committee; the NDP and the Conservative voices here are really important. It's really important that we have a national discussion about trade.
On some of the specific negotiating questions, I know my officials have been available. I'm happy for officials to be available.
I'd also like to make a suggestion. If it's okay with you all, I would love to have a real conversation about CETA at some point. We're getting closer, and I think it's going to be a very important, groundbreaking agreement for Canada.
I haven't spoken at length with Tracey about it, but my fantasy scenario is that we have unanimous support in Parliament for this groundbreaking deal.
I've now told her what I'm looking for.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
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