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Results: 201 - 300 of 544
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, it is important for us to remind our American partners that the United States also has measures in place to promote and protect its own wine industry, and American wine already does very well in Canada. In fact, the United States is our largest supplier of imported wine. The U.S. complaints to the WTO are unnecessary.
We will continue to work closely with the provinces on this issue, and I have discussed it at length with Premier Horgan. We have a united front.
We will always stand with Canadian workers and industry.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, yes, I can make a solemn commitment to defend the interests of the steel sector and all sectors of our national economy. Our government will always stand up for aluminum and steel workers. Our government is proud of our aluminum sector and its workers. We will always defend our economic interests and Canadian values.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, Canada strongly condemns the horrific attack that took place in Las Vegas that killed and injured so many innocent people. Our thoughts and condolences are with the friends and family of those killed. I am very sad to confirm that at least one Canadian was among those killed. Canadian consular officials are working closely with U.S. authorities to identify and help any other Canadians hurt by this dreadful attack. If any Canadians listening are aware of friends and family who may be harmed or caught up in the attack, please do get in touch with Global Affairs immediately.
I think I can say for all members of this House that Canada stands with the United States and with the American people following this terrible attack.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, Canada, of course, values its relationship with Spain. While the issue of Catalonia is an internal matter for Spain, yesterday's reports of violence are very concerning. A solution to this debate should be found respectfully within the rule of law, according to the Spanish constitution, and through peaceful dialogue.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, we are very much concerned about human rights violations, including the LGBT rights violations in Azerbaijan.
Our government has been unequivocal in its defence of all sexual minorities, both at home and abroad. Our government firmly defends LGBTQ rights in Canada and around the world. LGBTQ rights have no borders. They have to be respected and promoted everywhere.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, as I think the member opposite knows, I am personally very focused on the rights of persecuted LGBT minorities around the world, very much including the former Soviet Union. This is an issue that I take personally and in which I have been very personally engaged. In some areas our government cannot speak about what we are doing because of the danger these people face. We are very focused on the danger in Azerbaijan as—
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, let me assure the member opposite and all Canadian workers that we are fighting very hard at the NAFTA negotiating table for the interests of all Canadian workers and for Canadian jobs. The labour chapter that Canada has proposed is the most progressive labour chapter Canada has ever put forward. It has the support of Canadian unions and the support of unions in the United States. In fact, Elizabeth Warren wrote over the weekend about how strong our proposals are. Canadian workers are at the heart of our negotiating strategy.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, Canada values its relationship with Spain. While the issue of Catalonia is a Spanish domestic matter, we are very concerned about the violence on the ground.
We hope that a solution can be found through peaceful dialogue, within the context of the Spanish constitution.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, as I have already said, Canada values its relationship with Spain. However, we are very concerned about the violence on the ground. The issue of Catalonia is a Spanish domestic matter. We, like all Canadians, hope that a solution can be found through peaceful dialogue, within the context of the Spanish constitution.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, we will always defend Canadian companies and Canadian workers against unfair and costly protectionism.
While this is only a preliminary determination by the Department of Commerce, we strongly disagree. Boeing's petition is clearly and unfairly aimed at eliminating the C Series aircraft from the U.S. market.
We will continue to raise this issue at the highest levels. We are going to defend our workers. We are going to defend our aerospace sector.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, Canada expects the end user of all exports to abide by the end use terms in issued export permits. I requested a review of the situation and department officials are actively requesting more information on these allegations. I can confirm that no new export permits have been issued for Saudi Arabia.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, our government is absolutely committed to advancing the cause of workers' rights through NAFTA and the NAFTA negotiations. In fact, we are very proud in these negotiations to have put forward the most progressive, the strongest labour chapter that Canada has ever put forward in a negotiation. We are very aware that it is unfair to expect our workers to be part of a race to the bottom and to compete against workers with lower standards. That is what we are saying at the table.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, I can assure the hon. member and all Canadians that the rights of workers in all sectors in Canada are very important to our government during NAFTA negotiations, including workers in the aluminum industry. It really is a very important issue to us. We know that there is a protectionist administration in the United States, but we are working for our workers.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, we are there to help our dairy farmers and the entire Canadian dairy sector. As for dairy products, I am confident that Canada meets all of its trade and international commitments. I would like to remind everyone that the United States has a five-to-one surplus in their dairy trade with Canada.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Madam Speaker, I will be splitting my time with the member for York Centre.
Let me start by being unequivocal and firm. Our government clearly condemns the human rights violations of the Rohingya and the violence and persecution that has forced almost 480,000 Rohingya to flee. In a matter of weeks, nearly half the population has left its home out of fear of persecution and as a result of acts of violence. This is unjustifiable. This is ethnic cleansing.
Make no mistake. The plight of the Rohingya is a priority for Canadians, for the Prime Minister, for our government, for me personally, and for our officials in Yangon.
As many members know, this tragedy is just the most recent chapter in a long and complex history of violence in Rakhine State.
For decades, the Rohingya have been the victims of widespread, systematic discrimination and human rights violations in Myanmar. The Muslim Rohingya are an ethnic and linguistic minority. The government does not consider them one of the country's official ethnic groups, and as a result, Myanmar does not grant them citizenship. They are mainly considered economic migrants from Bangladesh and commonly deemed to be illegal Bengalis. That is why Canadian aid programs are trying to get these people recognized and ensure that their status in Myanmar is respected and valued.
In Rakhine State, tension has been brewing between the Rakhine Buddhist majority and the Rohingya for a long time. Unfortunately, that tension often leads to acts of violence. For example, in 2012, inter-ethnic unrest led to the forced displacement of 120,000 Rohingya, who have since been living in makeshift camps where their movement is restricted and they are entirely dependent on humanitarian aid.
In October 2016, things got even worse for the Rohingya when police officers were killed during attacks attributed to the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army at border posts in northern Rakhine State.
The security operations that followed were grossly disproportionate, and the Rohingya suffered many human rights violations, including arson, rape, and torture. Tens of thousands of people fled to nearby Bangladesh or were displaced within the country, which has led to today's humanitarian crisis.
Canada has taken every opportunity to advocate for the Rohingya people, including in conversations with State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and the commander-in-chief, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing.
The Prime Minister and I personally conveyed this message in meetings with Aung San Suu Kyi in June 2017 during her official visit to Canada.
On September 16, I attended and addressed a rally organized by the Burma Task Force in Toronto. At that rally, I echoed the remarks by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights that the situation in Rakhine State “seems a textbook example of ethnic cleansing”, and I condemned that.
On September 18, my colleague the Minister of International Development and La Francophonie attended a round table on Rakhine State hosted by the U.K. foreign secretary at the UNGA.
In recent weeks and at the UNGA last week, I have spoken about the plight of the Rohingya with my counterparts from Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands, Germany, United States, Kuwait, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Turkey, and the EU. I have also spoken with Kofi Annan, whose report was discussed earlier in this House, and the Prime Minister spoke very clearly about this issue with Aung San Suu Kyi on September 13.
When I spoke about our concerns about the plight of the Rohingya with Federica Mogherini, the EU High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs, I told her about conversations I had had with Canadian Rohingyas at this demonstration. She said that Canadians are so amazing, that we have in our country refugees from every country in the world. That was a very poignant remark, because I think we Canadians do feel a special obligation toward persecuted minorities around the world. I think one of the reasons is that, apart from the indigenous peoples in Canada, all of us originally came here from somewhere else.
I am so proud that we are having this debate tonight. I am so proud that the voices on all sides of the House are raised in support of the persecuted Rohingya. That says something about us as a country, and I want to commit to Canadians that we are fighting that fight.
I also want to say that our government is very aware that it is a Muslim minority that is being persecuted. We supported a motion opposing Islamaphobia in our country, and we are very aware that in the world today, both in Canada and abroad, many Muslims are a particular focus for persecution. That is something Canada speaks out against.
Our goals today are very clear. The first is to end the ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya. The second is to work very hard to allow Canadians and Canadian humanitarian assistance to be provided to the persecuted Rohingya, to see with Canadian eyes what is happening and to support these deeply suffering people. The third is to work in concert with our international allies to do everything we can to allow the Rohingya to return to their homes in Rakhine State and to live there free from persecution and fully enjoy their human rights.
It is important for all of us to hold Aung San Suu Kyi to account. That is what the Prime Minister has done in his conversations with her. That is what I have done in my conversations with her. That is what we have done in our public statements.
It is especially important for all of us to also hold to account and put pressure on the military leadership of Myanmar. It is very important that the military in Myanmar understand that the world is aware of the military's role in this ethnic cleansing and that we will not stand for it. That is something the government is doing as well.
I want to assure Canadians and all members of this House that Myanmar currently faces an arms embargo from Canada. That embargo is very firmly and clearly in place.
Finally, I want to reiterate the extent to which I personally, my colleagues, the Prime Minister, and our government welcome the opportunity to have this debate, welcome the opportunity to have this conversation, and really welcome the very strong show of support that we, collectively, are giving to the persecuted Rohingya Muslim minority by, all together, with one voice, stating that we stand for them.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Madam Speaker, I thank the hon. member for his engagement on this issue and for his engagement in having the debate tonight in this House. As I have said, I think it is very important for us to be showing our cross-party support on this issue.
As I said, I think we very much share the view that it is important, even as we hold Aung San Suu Kyi to account, that we also put pressure on the military leadership of Myanmar, and our government has definitely been doing that, including directly to the military leadership.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Madam Speaker, it was an aspirational list of our goals. I will be candid, because I think it was implicit in the question, that these are hard goals to achieve. I recognize that. I think it is important for all of us, even as we advocate strongly and fiercely for the Rohingya, to be clear that this is hard, this is difficult. It does not mean that we should not try to do it, and we do need to be working hard. I certainly have felt that, in my conversations with our international colleagues, we can at least hope that this concerted international pressure may be starting to have an effect.
As for increasing our humanitarian support for the Rohingya refugees and humanitarian support for those in the region, that is certainly something that we are very urgently looking into.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Madam Speaker, one thing I want to tell people is that many of the foreign ministers I spoke to last week and this week recognize the Canadian leadership, particularly those from the Muslim world, who said they were glad to hear Canada's voice raised on this issue.
On the steps we are taking, as I said, we are urgently looking at humanitarian assistance and seeking access for our diplomats to the Rakhine State so that we can see first-hand what is happening. Also, in concert with our allies, and I talked about this with Rex Tillerson last night, we are thinking about ways that we can step up that pressure on the military leadership.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, I want to assure Canadian workers in the auto sector, and in all sectors of our economy, that we are strongly and in a very prepared and confident way defending their interests at the NAFTA negotiating table. That is why we have put forward the strongest, most progressive labour provisions ever put forward by Canadian trade negotiators.
When it comes to autos, I held a consultation on Friday afternoon with representatives of the auto sector. This is very much top of mind for us.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, as I already mentioned, Canadian workers in each and every sector are important to our government. We are working very hard and very constructively at the negotiating table.
That is why we have a chapter on workers' rights that is very robust and progressive. Regarding the auto sector, I had a very constructive consultation session with auto sector leaders on Friday. I can assure Canadians that the auto sector is paramount to our government.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, we are here to help our dairy farmers and the Canadian dairy industry as a whole, as well as to defend supply management.
I would like to remind everyone that American dairy producers enjoy a five to one trade surplus with Canada, and that is what we are saying at the negotiating table. We are committed to working with our farmers, industry groups, and our American counterparts to continue to promote Canada's agricultural interests. We will vigorously defend our national interest.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind the member opposite of something our chief negotiator said in a scrum yesterday, which is that at the negotiating table we have not yet received U.S. proposals on the dairy sector. Therefore, it is important for people to understand that.
When it comes to our dairy farmers, we will defend their interests vigorously at the NAFTA negotiating table. We are committed to working together with farmers, industry groups, and American counterparts to promote Canada's agricultural interest. We will fiercely defend the national interest and promote our values.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, with regard to Catalonia, Canada has a friendly relationship with Spain. This is an internal Spanish matter. It is our hope that this internal matter will come to an harmonious and respectful end in accordance with Spain's constitutional framework.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for York Centre for his hard, committed work on this issue. Our government deplores the actions of the Maduro regime, as I believe that all members of the House do. That is why, on September 22, we were pleased to announce strong, targeted sanctions against 40 leading members of the Maduro regime.
Last week in New York, I attended the Lima Group meeting of like-minded countries committed to the restoration of democracy in Venezuela, and I was pleased to announce that Canada will host the next meeting of the Lima Group. We will not stand by as the Government of Venezuela robs its people of their fundamental rights.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, Canada and our government strongly and vigorously defend our national and economic interests.
Our main objectives for the negotiations are clear: protecting NAFTA as job creator and economic driver, reducing red tape to make things easier for small and medium-sized businesses, making NAFTA a more progressive agreement, and maintaining the elements of NAFTA that are key to our national interests. That is what we will do.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, I would like to reassure my colleague, all the members of this House, and all Canadians that we fully understand the national interest of Canada and Canadians. We are working extremely hard with our professional negotiators to vigorously defend Canada's national interest, including supply management and the interests of agricultural producers like my father.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, let me start by congratulating the member for Durham on his nomination as official opposition critic for foreign affairs.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
He is the shadow minister, not critic. Okay, Mr. Speaker.
Let me assure the member that at the NAFTA negotiating table we are fighting very hard, we are fighting energetically, and we are fighting, having done our homework, for the interests of all Canadian workers, very much including workers in the auto sector. I had a very productive consultation with the auto sector on Friday.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, let me assure the member opposite that we are fighting very hard at the NAFTA negotiating table for the interests of all Canadian workers. That very much includes workers in the auto sector, and I was pleased to have a very productive consultation with members of the auto sector just on Friday. It very much includes workers in the natural resources sector, and we are fighting hard for an energy chapter. The interests of Canadian workers are absolutely at the heart of our negotiating strategy, and we are going to defend them.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to have this opportunity to reassure the people of Windsor and in fact all Canadians that we absolutely understand the importance of manufacturing and the automotive sector to our economy. Those are good, well-paying, very often unionized jobs, and we will fight to keep them here in Canada. I do want to point out, particularly for Americans who might be listening to us today, that North American content levels in Canada-produced vehicles are on average considerably higher than in vehicles produced in the U.S. and Mexico, and that is a good thing.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, we are absolutely seized by the urgent question of the persecution of the Rohingya. Based on reports from the region, this is ethnic cleansing, and it is important for Canada to condemn it in the strongest possible terms and to act. It is important particularly to call on the military leadership to cease this horror.
The Prime Minister has spoken directly with Aung San Suu Kyi about this. I have spoken to Kofi Annan. At the UN last week we were working closely with allies such as Indonesia and Turkey on—
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, Canada enjoys friendly relations with Spain. The issue of Catalonia falls squarely under Spanish domestic affairs. We hope that the country's internal debates come to a harmonious and respectful end in accordance with its constitutional framework.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, let me be clear. We support NAFTA and believe that NAFTA has created jobs and growth in Canada and across North America. Having said that, we believe this modernization negotiation is an opportunity to make a good agreement even better, and I want to assure the member opposite that a very strong element of the Canadian negotiating position is to push for higher labour standards.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, we are concerned about Boeing's request for an investigation to determine whether anti-dumping charges and countervailing duties should be imposed in relation to imports of large civil aircraft from Canada.
Our government will continue to raise this very important issue with Boeing at the highest level in order to defend the interests of Canadian aerospace workers. This is a very important issue for Canada and our government.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, Canada enjoys friendly relations with a democratic and united Spain. Canada and Spain maintain excellent bilateral relations based on shared values.
As far as Canada is concerned, the issue of Catalonia falls squarely under Spanish domestic affairs. We hope that the country's internal debates come to a harmonious end in accordance with its constitutional framework.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, I am indeed very much looking forward to attending the OAS meeting the week after next, as this is a very important organization and Canada is proud of our membership. We are also very proud of our close connection with the United Kingdom, one of our closest friends in the world.
I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the people of the United Kingdom for having successfully completed their general election.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, yesterday our government was truly delighted to announce that Canada will be the new co-chair of the Equal Rights Coalition.
The coalition is made up of more than 30 countries and promotes and protects the human rights of lesbian, gay, transgender, bisexual, and intersex people globally. This is an important step forward for LGBTQ2 rights internationally, and I am so proud that Canada is contributing as co-chair, especially in this month when my city is celebrating—
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
moved:
That the House (a) recognize that the government is committed to a foreign policy that supports multilateralism and rules-based international systems, human rights, gender equality, the fight against climate change, and economic benefits being shared by all; (b) recognize that further leadership on the part of Canada is both desirable and required; and (c) support the government’s decision to use the foregoing principles to guide Canadian foreign policy.
She said: Mr. Speaker, here is a question. Is Canada an essential country at this time in the life of our planet? Most of us here would agree that it is, but if we assert this, we are called to explain why and we are called to consider the specifics of what we must do as a consequence.
International relationships that had seemed immutable for 70 years are being called into question. From Europe to Asia, to our own North American home, long-standing pacts that have formed the bedrock of our security and prosperity for generations are being tested. New shared human imperatives, the fight against climate change first among them, call for renewed, uncommon resolve.
Turning aside from our responsibilities is not an option. Instead, we must think carefully and deeply about what is happening and find a way forward. By definition, the path we choose must be one that serves the interests of all Canadians and upholds our broadly held national values. It must be one that preserves and nurtures Canadian prosperity and security, and that contributes to our collective goal of a better, safer, more just, prosperous, and sustainable world, one we can pass on to our children and grandchildren with a sense of having done the right thing in our time.
This is no small order. It is what I would like to spend a few minutes talking about today.
Since before the end of the Second World War, beginning with the international conference at Bretton Woods in 1944, Canada has been deeply engaged in, and greatly enjoyed the benefits of, a global order. These were principles and standards that were applied, perhaps not perfectly at all times by all states, but certainly by the vast majority of democratic states, most of the time.
The system had at its heart the core notions of territorial integrity, human rights, democracy, respect for the rule of law, and an aspiration to free and friendly trade. The common volition toward this order arose from a fervent determination not to repeat the mistakes of the immediate past. Humankind had learned through the direct experience of horror and hardship that the narrow pursuit of national self-interest, the law of the jungle, led to nothing but carnage and poverty.
Two global conflicts and the Great Depression, all in the span of less than half a century, taught our parents and grandparents that national borders must be inviolate; that international trading relationships created not only prosperity but also peace; and that a true world community, one based on shared aspirations and standards, was not only desirable but essential to our very survival.
That deep yearning toward lasting peace led to the creation of international institutions that endure to this day with the nations of western Europe, together with their transatlantic allies, the United States and Canada, at their foundation.
In each of these evolutions in how we humans organize ourselves, Canadians played pivotal roles. There was Bretton Woods itself, where the Canadian delegation was instrumental in drafting provisions of the fledgling International Monetary Fund and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development. A few years later, in 1947, a Canadian, Dana Wilgress, played a leading role at the meetings in Geneva that led to the development of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, the precursor to the WTO.
It is a Canadian, John Humphrey, who is generally credited as the principal author of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which was adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1948. That was the first of what became a series of declarations to set international standards in this vital area.
Let us not neglect the great Canadian, perhaps best known for advancing the cause of humanitarian intervention, Lester B. Pearson. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for his leadership during the Suez crisis in 1956, for the creation of modern peacekeeping.
These institutions may seem commonplace today. We may take them for granted. We should not. Seventy years ago, they were revolutionary, and they set the stage for the longest period of peace and prosperity in our history. It was the same appreciation of the common interests of the human family in caring for our common home that led us to the acid rain treaty of the Mulroney era. It was what led us to the Montreal protocol of 1987 to phase out CFCs and preserve the ozone layer. It is what led us, ultimately, to Paris with 194 signatories at our side. That is global co-operation.
It is important to note that when sacrifice was required to support and strengthen the global order, military power in defence of our principles and alliances, Canada was there. In Suez, in Korea, in the Congo, in Cypress, in the first Gulf War, in the Balkans, in Afghanistan, up to and including today in Iraq, among many other places, Canada has been there. As the Prime Minister has often said, that is what Canadians do. We step up.
Today, it is worth reminding ourselves why we step up, why we devote time and resources to foreign policy, defence, and development, and why we have sent Canadian soldiers, sailors, aviators, diplomats, aid workers, intelligence officers, doctors, nurses, medics, and engineers into situations of danger, disaster, and chaos overseas, even at times when Canadian territory was not directly at risk.
Why do we spend billions on defence, if we are not immediately threatened? For some countries, Israel and Latvia come to mind, the answer is self-evident. Countries that face a clear and immediate existential challenge know they need to spend on military and foreign policy, and they know why.
For a few lucky countries, like Canada and the United States, that feel protected by geography and good neighbours, the answer is less obvious. Indeed, we could easily imagine a Canadian few who say that we are safe on our continent and we have things to do at home, so let us turn inward, let us say, “Canada first”.
Here is why that would be wrong.
First, though no foreign adversary is poised to invade us, we do face clear challenges. Climate change is a shared menace, affecting every single person on this planet. Civil war, poverty, drought, and natural disasters anywhere in the world threaten us as well, not least because these catastrophes spawn globally destabilizing mass migrations.
The dictatorship in North Korea, crimes against humanity in Syria, the monstrous extremists of Daesh, and Russian military adventurism and expansionism also all pose clear strategic threats to the liberal democratic world, including Canada. Our ability to act against such threats alone is limited. It requires co-operation with like-minded countries.
On the military front, Canada's geography has meant that we have always been able to count on American self-interest to provide a protective umbrella beneath which we have found indirect shelter. Some think, some even say, we should therefore free-ride on U.S. military power. Why invest billions to maintain a capable, professional, well-funded, and well-equipped Canadian military? The answer is obvious.
To rely solely on the U.S. security umbrella would make us a client state. Although we have an incredibly good relationship with our American friends and neighbours, such dependence would not be in Canada's interest. That is why doing our fair share is clearly necessary. It is why our commitment to NORAD and our strategic relationship with the United States is so critical. It is by pulling our weight in this partnership, and in all our international partnerships, that we, in fact, have weight.
To put it plainly, Canadian diplomacy and development sometimes require the backing of hard power. Force is, of course, always a last resort, but the principled use of force, together with our allies and governed by international law, is part of our history, and it must be a part of our future. To have that capacity requires substantial investment, which this government is committed to making. The Minister of National Defence will elaborate fully on that tomorrow. I know he will make Canadians justly proud.
Whatever their politics, Canadians understand that as a middle power living next to the world's only superpower, Canada has a huge interest in an international order based on rules, one in which might is not always right, one in which more powerful countries are constrained in their treatment of smaller ones by standards that are internationally respected, enforced, and upheld. The single most important pillar of this, which emerged following the carnage of the First and Second World Wars is the sanctity of borders, and that principle today is under siege. That is why the democratic world has united behind Ukraine.
The illegal seizure of Ukrainian territory by Russia is the first time since the end of the Second World War that a European power has annexed, by force, the territory of another European country. This is not something we can accept or ignore.
The atrocities of Daesh directly challenge both the sanctity of borders and the liberal international order itself. They create chaos, not only because of the carnage they perpetrate on their innocent victims but because of the humanitarian crises and migratory explosions that follow. This is why the world has united against this scourge. Violent extremism challenges our very way of life. We will always oppose it.
Another key benefit for Canada from an international system based on rules is, of course, free trade. In this sphere as well, beggar-thy-neighbour policies hit middle powers soonest and hardest. That is the implacable lesson of the 1930s and the Great Depression. Rising trade barriers hurt the people they are intended to help. They curb growth, stifle innovation, and kill employment. This is a lesson we should learn from history. We should not need to teach it to ourselves again through painful experience.
The international order an earlier generation built faces two big challenges, both unprecedented. The first is the rapid emergence of the global south and Asia, most prominently China, and the need to integrate these countries into the world’s economic and political system in a way that is additive, that preserves the best of the old order that preceded their rise, and that addresses the existential threat of climate change.
This is a problem that simply cannot be solved by nations working alone. We must work together.
I have focused these remarks on the development of the postwar international order, a process that was led primarily by the Atlantic powers of North America and western Europe, but we recognize that the global balance of power has changed greatly since then and will continue to evolve as more nations prosper.
The G20, in whose creation Canada was instrumental, was an early acknowledgement of this emerging reality. The countries of Latin America and the Caribbean, Africa, and Asia are ascendent, delivering ever-increasing living standards to fast-growing populations bursting with innovation, creativity, and enterprise.
This is not a trend any of us should fear. It is one we should embrace. Let us recognize that the peace and prosperity we in the west have enjoyed these past 70 years are desired by all and are increasingly within reach of all. As Canadians, let us be agents of that change. Let us seize the great opportunity we have now to help the people of the world's fastest-growing countries join the global middle class and the multilateral system that supports it. Peace and prosperity are every person's birthright.
The second great challenge is an exhaustion in the west of the belief among working people, the middle class, that the global system can help them better their lives. This is an enormous crisis of confidence. It has the potential, if we let it, to undermine global prosperity itself. At the root of this anxiety around the world is a pervasive sense that too many people have been left behind, betrayed by a system they were promised would make them better off but has not.
Here is the key. It is true that the system is flawed. However, international trade is the wrong target. The real culprit is domestic policies that fail to appreciate that continued growth and political stability depend on domestic measures that share the wealth.
Admittedly, this is a complicated problem. If there were easy solutions, everybody would be applying them. However, let us be clear on this point: it is wrong to view the woes of our middle class as the result of fiendish behaviour by foreigners. The truth is that the nature of work has changed because of profound, and generally benign, global economic innovation. This transformation, driven primarily by automation and the digital revolution, is broadly positive.
Managed fairly, it has the potential to increase prosperity for all, not just the global one percent. That means supporting families, supporting pensioners, and supporting education and retraining, as the Minister of Finance did in his recent budget.
By better supporting the middle class and those working hard to join it, Canada is defining an approach to globalization that can be a model. At the same time, we strongly support the global 2030 goals for sustainable development. The world abroad and the world at home are not two solitudes. They are connected. Likewise, by embracing multiculturalism and diversity, Canadians are embodying a way of life that works. We can say this in all humility, but also without any false self-effacement: Canadians know about living side by side with people of diverse origins and beliefs, whose ancestors hail from the far corners of the globe, in harmony and peace. We are good at it.
We say this in the full knowledge that we also have problems of our own to overcome, most egregiously the injustices suffered by indigenous people in Canada. We must never flinch from acknowledging this great failure, even as we do the hard work of seeking restoration and reconciliation.
It is clearly not our role to impose our values around the world. No one appointed us the world's policemen. However, it is our role to stand firmly for these rights, both in Canada and abroad. It is our role to provide refuge to the persecuted and downtrodden to the extent we are able, as we are so proud to have done for more than 40,000 Syrian refugees.
It is our role to set a standard for how states should treat women, gays and lesbians, transgendered people, racial, ethnic, cultural, linguistic, and religious minorities, and of course, indigenous people.
We can and must play an active role in the preservation and strengthening of the global order from which we have benefited so greatly. Doing so is in our interest, because our own open society is most secure in a world of open societies, and it is under threat in a world where open societies are under threat.
In short, Canadian liberalism is a precious idea. It would not survive long in a world dominated by the clash of great powers and their vassals struggling for supremacy, or at best, an uneasy détente. Canada can work for better. We must work for better.
Let me pause here and address the United States directly. As the Prime Minister said last week, Canada is deeply disappointed by the U.S. federal government's decision to withdraw from the Paris agreement on climate change.
That said, we will continue to seek opportunities for constructive progress on the environment, wherever we can find them, with our counterparts in Washington and across the great United States, at all levels of government and with partners in business, labour, and civil society.
As I have said, we Canadians can rightly be proud of the role we played in building the postwar order, and the unprecedented peace and prosperity that followed.
Even as we celebrate our own part in that project, it is only fair for us to acknowledge the larger contribution of the United States, for in blood, in treasure, in strategic vision, in leadership, America has paid the lion's share. The United States has truly been the indispensable nation. For their unique seven-decades-long contribution to our shared peace and prosperity, and on behalf of all Canadians, I would like to profoundly thank our American friends.
As I have argued, Canada believes strongly that this stable, predictable international order has been deeply in our national interest, and we believe it has helped foster peace and prosperity for our southern neighbours too, yet it would be naive or hypocritical to claim before the House that all Americans today agree. Indeed, many of the voters in last year's presidential election cast their ballots animated, in part, by a desire to shrug off the burden of world leadership. To say this is not controversial; it is simply a fact.
Canada is grateful and will always be grateful to our neighbour for the outsized role it has played in the world. We seek and shall continue to seek to persuade our friends that their continued international leadership is very much in their national interest, as well as that of the rest of the free world. We also recognize that this is ultimately not our decision to make. It is a choice Americans must make for themselves.
The fact that our friend and ally has come to question the very worth of its mantle of global leadership puts into sharper focus the need for the rest of us to set our own clear and sovereign course. For Canada, that course must be the renewal, indeed the strengthening, of the post-war multilateral order.
We will follow this path with open hands and open hearts extended to our American friends, seeking to make common cause, as we have so often in the past, and indeed, as we continue to do now on many fronts, from border security, to the defence of North America through NORAD, to the fight against Daesh, to our efforts within NATO, to nurturing and improving our trading relationship, which is the strongest in the world. At the same time, we will work with other like-minded people and countries that share our aims.
To put this in sharper focus, those aims are as follows.
First, we will robustly support the rules-based international order and all its institutions, and seek ways to strengthen and improve them. We will strongly support the multilateral forums where such discussions are held, including the G7, the G20, the OAS, APEC, the WTO, the Commonwealth, La Francophonie, the Arctic Council, and of course NATO and the UN.
A cornerstone of our multilateral agenda is our steadfast commitment to the transatlantic alliance. Our bond is manifest in CETA, our historic trade agreement with the European Union, which we believe in and warmly support, and in our military deployment this summer to Latvia.
There can be no clearer sign that NATO and article 5 are at the heart of Canada’s national security policy.
We will strive for leadership in all these multilateral forums. We are honoured to be hosting the G7 next year, and we are energetically pursuing a two-year term on the UN Security Council. We seek this UN seat because we wish to be heard, and we are safer and more prosperous when more of the world shares Canadian values.
Those values include feminism and the promotion of the rights of women and girls. It is important, and historic, that we have a Prime Minister and a government who are proud to proclaim themselves feminists. Women’s rights are human rights. That includes sexual reproductive rights.
That includes the right to safe and accessible abortions.
These rights are at the core of our foreign policy. To that end, in the coming days, my colleague the Minister of International Development and La Francophonie will unveil Canada’s first feminist international assistance policy, which will target the rights of women and girls as well as gender equality.
We will put Canada at the forefront of this global effort. This is a matter of basic justice and also basic economics. We know that empowering women overseas and here at home makes families and countries more prosperous. Canada’s values are informed by our historical duality of French and English; by our co-operative brand of federalism; by our multicultural, multi-ethnic, and multilingual citizenry; and by our geography, since our country bridges the Atlantic, Pacific, and Arctic.
Our values are informed by the traditions and aspirations of the indigenous people in Canada, and our values include an unshakeable commitment to pluralism, human rights, and the rule of law.
Second, we will make the necessary investments in our military, not only redress years of neglect and underfunding but also to place the Canadian Armed Forces on a new footing with the equipment, training, resources, and consistent, predictable financing they need to do their difficult, dangerous, and important work. We owe this to our women and men in uniform. We will not let them down.
Canada’s broader interest in investing in a capable, professional, and robust military is very clear. If middle powers do not implicate themselves in the furtherance of peace and stability around the world, that will be left to the great powers to settle among themselves. This would not be in Canada’s interest.
Third, we are a trading nation. Far from seeing trade as a zero-sum game, we believe in trading relationships that benefit all parties. We look forward to working with our continental partners to modernize the North American Free Trade Agreement and to making a great partnership even better.
We will intensify our efforts to diversify Canadian trade worldwide. We will actively seek new trade agreements that further Canadian economic interests and that reflect our values, with the Canada-EU trade agreement as our template.
As I said, we are proud of the role Canada has played in creating a rules-based international trading order. We believe in the WTO and will continue our work to make it stronger and more responsive to the needs of ordinary people in Canada and around the world. We believe in progressive trade that works for working people. That is why we are very proud that this month, Canada will ratify the last of the fundamental conventions of the International Labour Organization.
In summary, we will be tireless in pursing our national interest, tireless in upholding progressive Canadian values, tireless in working to create a rules-based international order for the 21st century. Seventy years ago Canada played a pivotal role in forming the postwar international order. By virtue of our unique experience, expertise, geography, diversity, and values, we are now called to do this again for a new century.
These are ambitious objectives. There is no guarantee of success. We set them, not in the assumption that success will come easily but in the certain knowledge that it will not. We will venture in noble and good causes. We will risk, we will enjoy victories, and we will suffer defeats, but we will keep working toward a better world because that is what Canadians do.
Let me conclude on a personal note.
A popular criticism today of the arguments I am making here is that all such ideas are abstract, perhaps of interest to the so-called Laurentian elite, or the media or the Ottawa bubble, but not at all relevant to real Canadians. That line of reasoning is the ultimate elite condescension; it is nonsense.
In reply, I offer the example of my grandfather, John Wilbur Freeland. He was born in Peace River, Alberta, the son of a pioneer family. Wilbur was 24 in 1940, and making a bit of a living as a cowboy and boxer. His nickname was “Pretty Boy” Freeland. My grandpa was the opposite of an Upper Canada elite, but in the darkest days of the Second World War, Wilbur enlisted to serve. Two brothers, Carleton and Warren, joined up too. Wilbur and Carleton came home; Warren did not. My grandfather told me they signed up partly for the excitement. Europe, even at war, was an exotic destination for the young men of the Peace Country.
There was more to it than a young man’s thirst for adventure, though. My grandfather was one of a generation of Canadians who intuitively understood the connection between their lives and those of people they had never met, whose speech they could not comprehend, who lived on a continent so far away as to constitute, back then, another world.
That generation of Canadians, the greatest generation we call them with good reason, had survived the Great Depression. They were born in the aftermath of the First World War. They appreciated viscerally that a world without fixed borders or rules for the global economy was a world of strife and poverty. They sought to prevent that from ever happening again.
That is why they risked and gave their lives to fight in a European war. That is why, when they came home, they cheerfully contributed to the great project of rebuilding Europe and creating a postwar world order. That is why they counted themselves lucky to be able to do so.
They were our parents, our grandparents, and our great grandparents. The challenge we face today is significant, to be sure, but it pales next to the task they faced and met. Our job today is to preserve their achievement and to build on it, to use the multilateral structures they created as the foundation for global accords and institutions fit for the new realities of our century. They rose to their generation's great challenge, so can we.
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Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, while clearly it is the job of my colleagues in opposition to find the fault in our position, I really hope and believe that it is possible for us to have a foreign policy based on broadly shared, broadly held national objectives. That is really the approach this government is seeking to take, and will continue to seek.
There are Canadian values and there is a level at which, as has been the case with Ukraine, where the House can be united in pursuing them.
On the specific questions asked by the member opposite, I have answered those many times before in the House. We are absolutely strong and clear in our condemnation of the heinous acts being perpetrated against the Yazidis, and we have been very clear in welcoming Yazidis refugees to our country.
On the question of Saudi Arabia, as the member opposite knows very well, that was not a position on which Canada had a vote. However, a reason we feel so strongly that it is the right thing for Canada to get a seat on the UN Security Council and the reason we were so disappointed at the unprecedented failure to get that seat last time around is because the Canadian voice needs to be heard at that level.
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Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, I would like to begin by thanking my colleague for her question and for her work, not only as a member of the House, but as a diplomat.
As I have said, diplomacy is a very important part of our work in the world. My colleague asked me a lot of questions and mentioned a lot of issues, and that is absolutely fine. As for the issues regarding defence and development, my colleagues the Minister of National Defence and the Minister of International Development will speak more about those this week.
She also spoke about the United Nations and nuclear disarmament. On this issue, we may not agree. I would like to note that our goal is nuclear disarmament and that we are taking the necessary steps to achieve that. That means working hard to implement something tangible. That is the question. In 2006, for the first time, Canada rallied 159 states to support and adopt a resolution for the fissile material cut-off treaty. That is a concrete step toward the elimination of nuclear weapons, both for countries that have nuclear weapons and for countries that do not but are concerned. On this issue, I think that we must work in a more tangible manner and not just make declarations.
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Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, I am sure that you would have an excellent answer to offer to those two questions.
Let me start with the Chechen question. I am very personally seized with this issue. I am very personally involved, as is our government, our diplomats, and our department of immigration. I will, in due course, have more to say about it. However, I trust that the hon. member and this entire House appreciate that this, in Russia, in Chechnya, is an extremely delicate situation, and I will not say anything for momentary partisan political gain that would endanger the lives of people who are already facing a very specific threat. I want to assure this House that this issue is very high on my personal agenda. We are working hard on it. I am afraid that, at this moment, there is no more I can say.
I do want to say one other thing. The member began her question by suggesting that the international rules-based order was some ephemeral thing and not the proper concern of an action-based person. Let me say that the international rules-based order is, not only for the entire world but specifically for a middle power like Canada, of very concrete, very direct importance to us.
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Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question. The Prime Minister has spoken a lot about Charlevoix with the other G7 leaders. Everyone is very pleased to have the chance to come see such a beautiful part of our country.
Regarding the G7, it is a very important opportunity for Canada during a difficult time for the world. It is an opportunity for us to assume global leadership with our international friends. It will be a very important year for Canada and for the world.
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Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, our goal is nuclear disarmament and we are taking the necessary measures to achieve that. That means we have to work hard to get something tangible.
In 2016, for the first time, Canada rallied 759 states to support and adopt a United Nations resolution calling for a fissile material cut-off treaty. That is something tangible.
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Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, I am not sure Brian Mulroney would agree that a reference to his work on the acid rain treaty was a myopic Liberal stroll unless the member opposite has information that Prime Minister Mulroney is joining our side of the House.
When it comes to Daesh and Iraq, our government is absolutely resolute. We have committed $1.6 billion to the effort there. We are proud of the work we are doing.
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Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, let me be absolutely clear. We condemn, in absolute terms, the human rights abuses of Canadians and all people anywhere in the world.
When it comes to consular cases, as the member opposite knows having been in government himself, these are among the most personally difficult and challenging cases any government can face. It is often important to do this work in private in order to secure our ultimate goal, which is not a partisan win; it is getting Canadians home.
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Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, as I said this morning, I understand that the world is a complicated place and that there are tough realities. I want to repeat what I said this morning: Canada must help the world through multilateral institutions, rules, and Canadian values. That is what we are doing and what we will continue to do.
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Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, it was the previous Conservative government that allowed the softwood lumber agreement to expire—
Some hon. members: Oh, oh!
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Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, we strongly disagree with the U.S. Department of Commerce's decision to impose unfair and punitive duties. We are going to fight those duties in the courts and we are going to win because we always do. We are at the negotiating table. I met twice this week with Secretary Ross, but I want to remind all hon. members that we are going to get a good deal for Canada, not just any deal.
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Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, our government is taking a regulatory approach to better protect the health and safety of Canadians. That is our priority. We are currently examining a range of issues including our international commitments. As the member opposite should know, eight American states have already decided to legalize recreational cannabis. We are committed to working with our global partners to best promote public health and combat illicit drug trafficking.
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Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, I share the hon. member's deep concern about this case.
I am following the case of Mr. Chang and Ms. Lu very closely. It has been raised repeatedly at a high level by the government and officials. Our officials are in contact with Mr. Chang, Ms. Lu, and their family.
I will be very glad this afternoon to be meeting with Ms. Chang. I look forward to that conversation.
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Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, it was the Conservative government that let the agreement expire.
The countervailing duties imposed by the U.S. Department of Commerce are punitive and unfair. We will go to court and we will win, as we have every time.
The Prime Minister spoke to the President at the G7 summit about softwood lumber. This week, I had two meetings with Secretary Ross at which we discussed the softwood lumber file.
We want a good agreement, not just any agreement.
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Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, let me remind the hon. member that it was his Conservative government that allowed the previous agreement to expire.
As to Ambassador Mike Froman's comments about there having been a deal on the table, there may have been offers from Mike that were great for the United States and punitive for Canada, but I will never do a bad deal for Canada.
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Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, let me tell the House what is the most important thing for me every single day, and that is jobs for hard-working middle-class Canadians.
The aerospace industries in Canada and the United States are highly integrated and support good, middle-class jobs on both sides of the border. We strongly disagree with the U.S. Department of Commerce's decision. Our government will defend the interests of the Canadian aerospace industry and our aerospace workers. I will always stand up for Canada.
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Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, I would like to make one small correction: the NAFTA negotiations will begin in August, not September.
The aerospace industries in Canada and the U.S. are highly integrated and provide good jobs to middle-class workers on both sides of the border.
Our government will vigorously defend the interests of Canadian workers, including aerospace workers. We will always defend Canada's economic interests.
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Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, I absolutely share the view of the hon. member that what is happening to the gay men of Chechnya is deplorable, and we have spoken out clearly about that.
I am very personally engaged in this matter and have been personally working with Russian NGOs. This is a very delicate situation and people's lives are in the balance, but we are very engaged.
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Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her question.
This is a very personal matter to me. We deplore the recent reports of human rights violations against gay and bisexual men in Chechnya. We are actively working to find ways to help these individuals. I have engaged directly with Russian NGOs. This is a very delicate situation, so we cannot disclose everything we are doing, but we are very engaged.
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Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, Canada has a long-standing commitment to a comprehensive, just, and lasting peace, and to a two-state negotiated solution. This includes Israel's right to exist in peace and free from terrorism within secure borders, as well as the creation of a sovereign, viable Palestinian state.
Canada calls on all parties to refrain from taking any unilateral action that would undermine the outcome of direct negotiations and jeopardize the prospect of a two-state solution.
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Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, the notice that was given by Ambassador Lighthizer today is a step that has long been anticipated. It is a routine part of the U.S. domestic process. NAFTA negotiations have not yet begun. The formal notification today means that those negotiations can begin no sooner than 90 days from today.
I was pleased to meet with Ambassador Lighthizer on Tuesday, less than 24 hours after his swearing-in. It was his first meeting with a foreign official.
We are ready to stand up for the Canadian national interest and we will always do that.
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Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, as I already said, today is a technical step in the U.S. domestic process that we have long anticipated. We recognize that trade agreements must keep pace with the changing economy. However, I want to underscore that we will always proudly and vigorously defend our national interests and Canadian values.
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Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, what I can confirm is that I have the highest regard for Stéphane Dion. He is a legendary Canadian public servant. He is one of the Canadians who deserves credit for keeping our country together at a moment of great peril, and all Canadians owe him a tremendous debt for that.
As our foreign minister, Stéphane Dion was a leader of bringing Canada back, of elevating our voice on the world stage. I am proud that Stéphane Dion has agreed to serve as our ambassador.
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Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, I do want to start by saying I was very pleased last night with our discussion of Bill S-226 and I was pleased to announce that the government will be supporting this bill.
I would like to recognize the work of the member for Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman on this bill, as well as my colleague the member for Etobicoke Centre and the great Irwin Cotler. This is a real example of the House working together in across-party support for Canada working on human rights. I also want to support the work of the committee. I am reviewing the other recommendations very carefully. It is a unanimous report, and it is work very well done.
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Lib. (ON)
Madam Chair, as I have said in the House before, protection of human rights is an integral part of our government's policy and something I am personally, deeply committed to.
Let me repeat that Canada and China are not extradition partners, and there are no extradition treaty negotiations. I can say that I have engaged in no such talks. As with all cases internationally, our government is firmly committed to the protection of human rights, the rule of law, and due process.
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Lib. (ON)
Madam Chair, the member for Thornhill began by commenting on comments by the Chinese leadership.
I would like to remind the member for Thornhill that I am paid in Canadian dollars and not in renminbi, so I will restrict my comments to the position of our own government.
As to human rights, we raise human rights at every opportunity when speaking to all governments, including the Government of China. As the member opposite knows, I am running out of time. The Prime Minister raised this issue both during our visit to China and when Premier Li was here. It is a core Canadian objective.
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Lib. (ON)
Madam Chair, as the member for Thornhill and I are both former journalists, it perhaps leads to a more informal mode of discourse.
I have not yet had the pleasure of meeting the new ambassador from China. As I said before, human rights are core to Canada's foreign policy agenda. We will always raise human rights.
When it comes to all negotiations I take part in, what the other party says is not in any way equivalent to what Canada will put on the table.
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Lib. (ON)
Madam Chair, as the member for Thornhill knows very well, consular cases are among the issues that any Canadian government, certainly our government, and I, as foreign minister, take the most personally. These Canadians are often suffering extremely difficult situations abroad. I take extremely seriously my duty toward them.
I would like to thank the member opposite for mentioning the success we have had in some consular cases. In my view, a single Canadian detained abroad unfairly is one too many, and this a duty that all governments have.
It was quite a moving moment for us here when former prime minister Brian Mulroney spoke to a cabinet committee. He was thanked by one of my colleagues, the Minister of Infrastructure and Communities, for the work that Brian Mulroney's government did to secure his release. Prime Minister Mulroney then joked, “You could have at least run for the Conservatives.”
On the specific Chinese cases the member opposite mentioned, I am very personally seized of them. Ms. Sun, Mr. John Chang, and a number of other cases in China, and very much in Iran, are cases of which the department is seized. I am personally engaged in them, as is my outstanding parliamentary secretary.
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Lib. (ON)
Madam Chair, Canada has consistently supported Taiwanese participation in international organizations where there is a practical imperative and where Taiwan's absence would be detrimental to global interests. Indeed, as the minister of trade, I had the privilege of participating in a number of APEC meetings at which Taiwan, as an economy, was present and represented.
Global health is a global responsibility. Germs do not know any borders. We welcome participation from all civil society and the entire global community, including Taiwan. We all have a stake when it comes to the health of humanity.
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Lib. (ON)
Madam Chair, we condemn, in the strongest possible terms, the ongoing provocative actions by North Korea, including its most recent ballistic missile tests. This is a blatant disregard for international law and it is a direct threat to international peace and security, very much including Canada's peace and security. I have discussed this issue with our international partners, including this week and including at the G7. Canada is a Pacific nation. We are very much engaged.
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Lib. (ON)
Madam Chair, I was hoping the member for Thornhill, or someone, would ask me about Venezuela, because this issue is a very great priority for Canada and for me personally.
On April 3, I was very proud that Canada was able to co-sponsor an OAS resolution, calling on Venezuela to restore constitutional order and respect for democracy. Yesterday the Prime Minister met with Lilian Tintori and Antonieta de Lopez to discuss the situation in Venezuela and the detention of opposition leader, Leopoldo Lopez. I cannot say anymore about it, but I have more to say.
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Lib. (ON)
Madam Chair, as the member for Thornhill knows, this is an issue of which I am very personally aware and focused on. Bill Browder, who is the initiator of many of the Magnitsky efforts worldwide, has been a friend for more than two decades. I am very aware of Senator Raynell Andreychuk's bill and also of the fine report by the committee. It was really great to have a report that had support of all members, from all parties, of the committee.
We have been studying that report closely and I will have more to say about it. We have another three hours and 45 minutes, and I will have more to say about it tonight.
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Lib. (ON)
Madam Chair, as I said, the committee's work on Magnitsky and international human rights really is an example that does not happen that often, but sometimes does in the House. I want to very much include the NDP in this. There were some areas, and I think Canadian values are probably one of those areas, where we were able to work together and achieve a strong result for our whole country and for the world.
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Lib. (ON)
Madam Chair, as we discussed, I believe, last week, and as we spoke about in the media, we have indeed had a trip by officials, Canadian diplomats, to Iran, principally to raise consular issues, as we discussed earlier this evening. Those are really important and I feel a real duty personally toward those people. As we discussed openly, I did speak to the Iranian foreign minister on the phone.
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Lib. (ON)
Madam Chair, we certainly do. I also want to pay tribute to the brave history of Canadian diplomats, including in Iran. I think we are all proud of Ken Taylor.
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Lib. (ON)
Madam Chair, I am thankful for the opportunity to discuss my mandate commitment, our government, and I hope to some extent our country's priorities in the world, and Global Affairs main estimates for 2017-18. I will be using my time to deliver some remarks and then take some questions.
The member for Thornhill spoke about the importance of parliamentary committees. I certainly I believe in that. I have already spoken about the great work done by the committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development, As I bear continued responsibility for the Canada-U.S. economic relationship, I also want to acknowledge the great work being done by the committee on international trade. Its former chair is sitting across from me. We all benefit from having such great, experienced parliamentarians and committed Canadians.
First of all, I want to thank the Standing Committee of International Trade and the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development for their excellent work. Our government is a champion of human rights. In Canada and around the world, imposing sanctions for human rights violations is a hot topic, and rightly so.
Right now, however, no Canadian legislation exists to authorize sanctions specifically for violations of international human rights obligations in a foreign state or for corruption. Bill S-226, introduced by my friend, Senator Raynell Andreychuk, and sponsored in the House by the hon. member for Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman, seeks to fix this problem.
This bill expands on the work of an exemplary Canadian, Irwin Cotler, whose 2015 motion called for sanctions to be imposed on violators of human rights. That motion received unanimous support in the House. The tireless efforts of the hon. member for Etobicoke Centre on this issue also need to be recognized.
Today our government is proud to announce that we support this important legislation. The question of how to effectively apply sanctions for human rights abuses and for foreign corruption was among the issues examined by the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development. Our government is delighted to have the unanimous support of the committee members for a new tool that will enable us to impose sanctions for these violations and this corruption.
As hon. members are certainly aware, similar legislation received royal assent last month in the United Kingdom. The United States has also enacted similar legislation. This approach has also been debated in the EU Parliament. Human rights are a non-partisan issue, and I appreciate the opportunity to collaborate with the opposition on this important initiative.
Our government is a strong defender of human rights. In Canada and around the world, the issue of human rights sanctions, and in particular the case of Sergei Magnitsky, have drawn strong interest, and rightly so. However, there is no current Canadian law that authorizes the imposition of sanctions specifically for violations of international human rights obligations in a foreign state or for acts of corruption.
Bill S-226, introduced by my good friend, Senator Raynell Andreychuk, and sponsored in the chamber by the hon. member for Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman, aims to address this gap. The bill builds on the work of a great Canadian, Irwin Cotler, whose 2015 motion calling for sanctions on human rights violators received the unanimous support of the House. I was glad to be sitting as a member. I would be remiss if I did not also acknowledge the tireless efforts of my friend, the hon. member for Etobicoke Centre, on this issue. Today, our government is pleased to announce our support for this important legislation.
The question of how to effectively apply sanctions for human rights abuses and foreign corruption was among the issues examined by the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development. Our government was very encouraged to see unanimous support from committee members, many of whom are here this evening, for a new instrument to impose sanctions on human rights violations or corruption. Our government supports expanding the scope under which sanctions measures can be enacted under the Special Economic Measures Act to include cases of gross violations of human rights and foreign corruption.
As hon. members are surely aware, last month comparable legislation received royal assent in the United Kingdom. The United States enacted a similar law in 2012, and this approach has been debated in the EU Parliament. I truly believe this is the direction the world is going, and it will send a strong message to the world that we are able to work in a non-partisan fashion together to advance this important legislation. We hope it will receive unanimous support when it comes to a vote in the House.
I will certainly work hard for that, and I really want to thank members on both sides of the House for their hard work. We know this has not been an easy issue to support, and I am sure there will be some objections, but we as Canadian members of Parliament can be united. Together, we will advance Canada's resolute defence of human rights at home and abroad, and advance our national values.
Let me now turn to my mandate: restoring Canada's constructive leadership in the world, promoting our values and interests, and ensuring Canada makes a meaningful contribution to global peace and prosperity. Through our progressive international agenda, we are strengthening our credibility and influence, contributing to a more just and inclusive world, helping to make the world safer and more secure, and contributing to a more prosperous world for Canadians and everyone else. There is more work to do.
Today is International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia. I was very pleased to announce earlier today that Canada will seek to co-chair the Equal Rights Coalition, a group of 33 governments committed to promoting and protecting the rights of LGBTQ2 people around the world. One of the coalition's recent priorities is addressing the deplorable human rights violations against gay and bisexual men in Chechnya. Canada has led on this issue since we spoke out publicly on April 15, and I want to assure hon. members that our government continues to be very deeply engaged in this specific issue, and I am personally very involved.
Abroad, we have taken a feminist approach to our foreign policy and international assistance, providing significant support for sexual and reproductive health rights, including abortion, which I know my beloved colleague will discuss this evening at greater length. Our leadership on key international issues has also been evident on the environment. Together with my colleagues, Canada has been implementing significant contributions to the Paris agreement, and I want to note that at the recent meeting of the Arctic Council, which I attended, I personally was glad to see that the Paris agreement was mentioned in that shared declaration. That was important, as was climate change.
In the realm of international security, our government is implementing a strategy for security, stabilization, and humanitarian development assistance for Iraq, Syria, Jordan, and Lebanon. Of the $1.6 billion allocated in budget 2016, $1.1 billion is dedicated to humanitarian assistance and development programming. Again, we will hear more from my colleague about that later tonight. Through our strategy, we are making meaningful contributions to the region. Another significant contribution is our welcome of more than 40,000 Syrian refugees to Canada, something that all Canadians can be proud of, and is really a distinctive contribution of Canada to regional security, Europe's security, and investment in the future of our great country, to which immigrants have contributed so much.
In eastern Europe, we have recently extended Operation Unifier in Ukraine. Canadian women and men in uniform are leading a multinational NATO battle group in Latvia. Canada values NATO's role as a critical contributor to international peace and security, and we view NATO as the cornerstone of North Atlantic security and defence policy.
One of our closest NATO allies is, of course, the United States. As all Canadians would expect, our government has made it a priority to build a relationship with the new U.S. administration. Since the election, we have been focused on engaging with our counterparts on how to collaboratively grow our economies and support our middle classes.
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Lib. (ON)
Madam Chair, the parliamentary secretary spoke about the work that Global Affairs Canada has been doing. When it comes to engagement with the U.S., this truly has been a non-partisan effort. All Canadians appreciate the absolute importance of that relationship, very much including the economic relationship.
I also want to take the opportunity to thank the members of this House on the opposite side of the aisle for joining with us, which was very much led by the outgoing leader of the official opposition, who has done a terrific job. I believe we have been able to work well together on this file, and that is really important.
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Lib. (ON)
Madam Chair, this is certainly another area where there is support from all sides of the House, and I want to recognize the work of the member for Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman in particular, who has been a strong supporter of Ukraine and Ukrainian Canadians for many years.
I think we will be seeing some support for Ukraine in this House tomorrow, which is Den Vyshyvanka. A lot of us will be wearing our vyshyvanka. I will be wearing mine. Tomorrow, we will have a leading Ukrainian politician here, Arseniy Yatsenyuk. A lot of us will meet with him.
We often talk about Ukraine as something of interest to Ukrainian Canadians. However, it is very important when it comes to the invasion of the Ukrainian territory and its annexation by Russia to understand that this is a grave violation of international law. This is a grave—
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Madam Chair, of course I am very involved in this file. This is a very important issue, and it is just as important to me now that I am Minister of Foreign Affairs as it was when I was the minister of international trade.
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Lib. (ON)
Madam Chair, my answer to the previous question may not have been clear. I want to be very clear that the issue of the behaviour of our mining companies abroad is one I take very seriously as Minister of International Affairs. I referred to my past role as minister of international trade, simply because when I held that portfolio, I was also deeply engaged in the issue.
I want to assure the member for Laurier—Sainte-Marie that this is an issue we take very seriously. My colleagues in other portfolios in the department take human rights very seriously as part of their work.
Going back to the very first point, I was very glad to hear the member for Laurier—Sainte Marie speak of her support for Bill S-226. It is good that we now have support from all three parties in the House. I am also aware of the other elements of the committee's report. I am looking at those—
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Lib. (ON)
Madam Chair, as my colleague said, our government has already released an official statement on this. As a steadfast ally to Israel and a friend to the Palestinians, Canada is committed to supporting peace in the Middle East. We are committed to a comprehensive, just, and lasting peace, which includes the creation of a Palestinian state living side by side with Israel in peace and security.
We support the peace process, promote security and the rule of law, stimulate sustainable economic growth, and provide humanitarian aid.
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Lib. (ON)
Madam Chair, I would like to thank my hon. colleague for the opportunity to continue to speak more about our policy in the Middle East. As I said, we are a steadfast ally of Israel, and we are a friend of the Palestinians. We are determined to support peace in the Middle East.
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Lib. (ON)
Madam Chair, I would like to thank the member for continuing that line of questioning, because I had not finished my answer.
We are committed to a comprehensive, just, and lasting peace in the Middle East, including the creation of a Palestinian state, living side by side, in peace and security with Israel.
We support the peace process. We promote security and the rule of law—
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Madam Chair, in this informal environment, I think I can speak for all my colleagues in saying we feel we are much more in a committee room and sometimes it is quite easy to dispense with the formalities of the House, so I do not mind.
I want to thank the hon. member for raising the question of the Arms Trade Treaty. As the hon. member knows, we made a campaign commitment to join this treaty, and I was very pleased that, at a time when we are working hard to pass a lot of legislation, on April 13 we were able to table legislation for Canada to accede to the Arms Trade Treaty, something previous governments had not done.
The Arms Trade Treaty can set a real global standard for trade in weapons, and can thereby help prevent human rights abuses and protect lives. It is something we are very committed to, and I look forward to working hard with the hon. member on ensuring both swift passage of that legislation and that all of our legislation meets the standards of that important international treaty. We believe in multilateralism.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Madam Chair, I think in general, as the foreign affairs minister, it is not a wise practice to answer hypothetical questions. However, I would like to remind the member opposite that her colleagues are clearly on the record as to what they would do.
The hon. member for London—Fanshawe said during the campaign, “We don't renege on contracts. It's a signed contract and we will honour that contract.” I suppose that position from the hon. member is—
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Madam Chair, I have just consulted with my deputy minister, the excellent Ian Shugart, who is sitting here with me. According to my recollection and his, we believe I have signed no export permits, but we will take that under advisement and we will double-check; we have a few hours, but that is what we believe to be the case.
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Lib. (ON)
Madam Chair, on arms, I cannot resist quoting the leader of the NDP who said, “You don't cancel a commercial accord retroactively. It's just not done.”
I think I have spoken about that in our commitment to corporate social responsibility at some length. I am personally committed to it, as is the government. I do not want to tread on the territory of my colleague, the Minister of International Trade, and he will speak about that further.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Chair, I was hoping that the first question from the member for Battlefords—Lloydminster would be for me, because it is very rare that I disagree with my colleague, the Minister of International Trade, and rarer still that I disagree with him and agree with the member for Battlefords—Lloydminster. However, I must say that the Minister of International Trade suggested that very many Canadians were watching us all here tonight, and the member for Battlefords—Lloydminster, sotto voce, suggested that perhaps more were watching the Senators. I popped out earlier and I can inform the member for Battlefords—Lloydminster that when I popped out, they were winning 4-0, which is fantastic.
We had a lot of discussion earlier about CETA, and I want to take this opportunity, with his first question directed to me, to thank the member for Battlefords—Lloydminster personally for the hard work that I know he did on that. Also, there is someone who is not here with us—I do not know if I am allowed to say that—but we should not talk about CETA without also acknowledging the hard work that the member for Abbotsford did on that agreement.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Chair, I want to thank the member for Battlefords—Lloydminster for bringing up this case. I am very seized of it. I absolutely am. I am very concerned about the situation of Mr. Chang. My officials are working hard on it as well. I am glad that the hon. member has brought it up. It is very important for us to focus on the status of Canadians abroad. I agree with the hon. member's characterization of the details of this case and want to assure him that we are working hard on it.
He has mentioned a friend of all of us, Ambassador John McCallum. He is doing a great job and working very hard. I am glad that the hon. member shares my confidence that Ambassador McCallum is a person we can rely on to advocate for Canadians in China, and that is what he is doing.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Chair, I would like to thank the hon. member for his concern about this issue. I promise to let Ambassador McCallum know that if he can pull this one off, the hon. member has now, in the presence of all of us, pledged to congratulate him.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Chair, I am not sure a bottle of wine would be something Ambassador McCallum would appreciate particularly, but praise or acknowledgement from the hon. member he certainly would.
I was indeed in Shanghai as trade minister. Weldon Epp was our terrific consul general there at the time. Some of our officials are here now. Weldon and all the officials in our department are absolutely terrific public servants. They do a terrific job of briefing visiting ministers on all the issues that concern them.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Chair, I would like to start by thanking the member for London North Centre for his very hard work on these issues, and for his very eloquent remarks on these urgent issues this evening.
As the member has said, I fully support his characterization of the chemical weapons attack in Syria as a heinous war crime. As the Prime Minister said here in this House, the U.S. response, the limited, focused, targeted attack in response to the use of chemical weapons is something that Canada fully supported. That was the right thing to do, and we were very glad to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with our ally in that action.
The member for London North Centre has asked what Canada has done further, and I am pleased to underscore that we added a further 49 names to the special economic sanctions list against Syria, and we have done a lot more.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Chair, I thank my colleague for his question. Venezuela is very important to our government and our allies.
As my hon. colleague has said, we were privileged in Canada to have Lilian Tintori and Antonieta Lopez here yesterday. The Prime Minister met with them, and I do also want to recognize the hard work that our former colleague, Irwin Cotler, has been doing on this issue.
A very important point that was discussed yesterday that I would like to raise in the House is the detention of opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez. That is absolutely unacceptable, and I want Senor Lopez to know, and I hope he will hear, that all members of the House very strongly stand with him. This is an issue of great concern to Canada, and we are working hard on it.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Chair, I thank the member for Prince Albert for all for his hard work on this issue.
Like the member for Prince Albert, I would like to acknowledge that one thing Canada has done right collectively, with respect to this issue, is we have approached it in a non-partisan fashion. We understand this is really an issue for team Canada, and I really want to thank all the opposition parties for the way that we have been working together as a team on this key issue, not just the Canada-U.S. relationship but on NAFTA generally.
The member for Prince Albert spoke about all of the work that his party and the opposition MPs have been doing. I am the first to acknowledge that. Yesterday, the interim leader of the official opposition announced that she is moving on to a great new life. Maybe this is a good opportunity to also acknowledge the personal role that she has played with respect to leadership on this file. I spoke to her today, and she stated her intention to continue to be very involved. I am really glad to hear the praise for Ambassador MacNaughton, who I agree is absolutely doing a great job.
I have one final point on the bipartisan nature of our work that is worth underscoring, and the way it may be unprecedented in Canadian trade diplomacy. In addition to all of our parties working together, we are collaborating very closely with business and labour unions. I want to acknowledge those civil society actors, as well as the premiers and the mayors who are working so closely with us. A team Canada approach is the best way for us to really be successful, and I am proud of our country so far for having demonstrated that.
The member for Prince Albert asked how Mexico fits into the picture. I am pleased to answer very specifically. When it comes to the NAFTA negotiations, that is my responsibility. It is something I take very seriously. This is a really great and important trade agreement for Canada, and I promise all members of the House, and the member opposite, that I will work really hard to get a terrific deal for Canada going forward.
As the member opposite knows, NAFTA is a trilateral agreement. We are very much approaching the negotiations, and our mindset is very much on a trilateral deal. All three parties must be at the table. I am in close, very regular contact with both Ildefonso Guajardo, the Mexican minister of trade, and Luis Videgaray, the Mexican foreign minister, both of whom are engaged on this file. I will just say quickly that next week I am travelling to Mexico to meet with my counterparts there.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Is the Chair also able to answer on my behalf? That would keep you busy, Mr. Chair.
With respect to timelines, what Canada has said from day one is that we are ready to come to the table at any time. Something we can all agree on is Canada has the best trade negotiators in the world, and it will be a terrific team that goes to the table with us. We had a little back chat across the aisles. I do not know how allowed that is, but a question was asked about where Steve Verheul was. He is here and is working very hard, together with a great team at trade, on this issue.
As the member opposite knows, and I think all Canadians, as part of this process, are becoming real experts in the U.S. congressional system and TPA, the U.S. is bound by the TPA, which stipulates that negotiations can only begin after the 90-day notice has been given. I was in Washington on Monday and Tuesday and met with Secretary Ross and Ambassador Lighthizer. I was the first foreign official with whom Ambassador Lighthizer met. He said that was quite intentional. He wanted to show the importance of the key accords to Canada.
Although no one has a crystal ball when it comes to the world or the United States, now that Ambassador Lighthizer has been confirmed, I would expect the process will start to move forward.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Chair, when it comes to softwood lumber, the United States has made no offers that any Canadian would consider to be acceptable. I am absolutely certain of this. Where the U.S. right now is a level at which no member of the House, no Canadian province, no Canadian company, and no worker in the softwood industry would consider acceptable. We absolutely believe a negotiated deal is possible and desirable, but we want a good deal not just any deal.
I want to remind the hon. member that we have won at every trade tribunal, we have a strong hand, and we will not be reluctant to play it.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Chair, the best way to characterize our conversations, both with Ambassador Froman and with Secretary Ross, are very extensive conversations around softwood lumber. I do not feel that any of those conversations from the U.S. side have yielded a sufficiently good basis for a really meaningful negotiation to take place. I want Canadians to know that we will never negotiate against ourselves.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Chair, I apologize for talking for too long. I am very passionate when it comes to softwood lumber.
I believe the hon. member is referring to Ambassador Mike Froman who was the previous U.S. TR. Let me just put it this way. I have the highest respect for Ambassador Froman as a person. I actually knew him in my previous life as a journalist. However, when it comes to how different countries characterize negotiations, each country talks its own book. I will reiterate that we have not received, neither from Ambassador Froman nor from Secretary Ross, an offer sufficient for Canada to consider. I know the member opposite would agree with me.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Chair, as the member opposite knows well, it is up to the Department of Commerce how it chooses to make its assessments. The Department of Commerce chooses which companies to assess and also chooses which companies' requests for a voluntary submission to accept.
I am pleased the Department of Commerce accepted Irving's request for a voluntary submission. As the member opposite suggests, the very low rate at which commerce has assessed Irving is an argument that I absolutely have been using in pointing out that even by the judgment of commerce, there is really no fare there for the U.S. to protest.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Chair, the member for Prince Albert and I are friends and share a great interest in many things, including agriculture of the prairie provinces. I do not mind at all if he addresses me directly. I know those are not the rules.
I am, though, a bit surprised that the member opposite, particularly in the presence of his colleague, the member for Niagara West, some great wine country, would seem to be arguing the case for foreign wine producers against our own domestic industry.
Canada is a very open market when it comes to the sale of imported wines here. We are a terrific market for the United States. With CETA, we will be an even better market than we are today for Europe. Our foreign partners have no cause for complaint.
I am very proud of the great wines produced in Canada, and those are the ones I prefer to drink.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Chair, I would like to start by thanking the member for New Brunswick Southwest for her very hard work. I would like to tell her, through you, Mr. Chair, something I have not told her directly. Her story about the very close cross-border integration in her community is one I shared just yesterday with Senator Susan Collins of Maine. She told me that she grew up 20 miles from the Canadian border and is also very familiar with towns where hospitals, fire departments, and schools are shared across the border. That is a very important story about the Canada-U.S. relationship, and I really want to thank the member for telling that story so eloquently.
When it comes to NAFTA, as the member said, it is indeed good practice in trade to update and modernize trade agreements. We are currently in the midst of updating our trade agreements with Chile, with Israel, and with the EFTA countries. It is simply what is done. In fact, when it comes to NAFTA, by our count, there have been 11 significant modifications to this very important agreement since it first entered into force, so we very much welcome the opportunity to modernize the agreement. As the member suggested, the whole e-commerce Internet space is certainly one area ripe for some positive advances.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Madam Chair, I promised myself earlier today, when the member for Essex introduced me to her parents, who are here, that I would recognize them. There may not be that many Canadians watching us tonight, but I bet those two Canadians are and are very proud of their daughter.
Our government strongly believes in a progressive trade agenda that very much includes environmental and labour rights and also women's rights. That is something we have been advancing in all our trade agreements. I see some real opportunities in NAFTA modernization to raise the environmental and labour standards.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Madam Chair, the NAFTA negotiations have not yet begun, and the 90-day clock has not started. I am very clear that I am not going to put all of Canada's cards on the table at this early moment, but I do want to assure the member opposite, and all Canadians, that I am very committed to strengthening—
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