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Results: 481 - 540 of 544
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Madam Speaker, I am very seized with the issue, and very much share these concerns about Chinese steel dumping.
I have been consulting actively, including most recently in Arequipa, Peru, where I was at the APEC trade ministers meeting. We are working hard, particularly with our EU and U.S. counterparts on this issue.
It is an urgent matter for Canadians, and we are working toward a solution.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Madam Speaker, I am very seized of this issue, and I am personally extremely aware of the softwood lumber issue for Saskatchewan and indeed across Canada.
This week, I met for one hour with U.S.TR Mike Froman in Arequipa, Peru. I also met with Christy Clark, the premier of B.C., this morning. As we are speaking, our ambassador to the U.S. is meeting again with Ambassador Froman to discuss the issue.
I am pleased to report to the House that a U.S. negotiating team for softwood lumber is coming to Ottawa next week to continue our negotiations.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Madam Speaker, I would like to remind the hon. member that the previous softwood lumber agreement expired under his government's watch. That is okay with us; we are used to cleaning up the economic messes the Conservatives left for us.
We are working very hard on the softwood lumber agreement. As I have explained, I personally spoke with Mike Froman this week, and negotiators are coming here next week.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Madam Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for her question.
Canadians expect Canadian businesses with operations abroad to respect human rights and workers' rights.
I am very proud of the work of our mining companies abroad. I met last week with our corporate social responsibility counsellor. We are looking into ways to strengthen protections concerning the work of our mining companies abroad. It is an issue we are concerned with, and we are working with industry and with NGOs on it.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Madam Speaker, I am very pleased to rise in this House today.
Canada is a trading nation. International trade and investment are very important to Canada and Canadians. International trade and investment are essential to our standard of living and to improving the standard of living of people all over the world.
Trade helps us open markets to Canadian goods and services, promote the growth of exporters, create jobs, and give Canadian consumers more choice and lower prices.
Trade accounts for more than 60% of Canada's GDP. One out of five jobs in Canada is tied to Canadian exports. Exporting companies pay 14% higher wages than companies that do not export.
Free trade agreements do not just connect Canada to the rest of the world. They also guide our economic growth. Just look at the North American Free Trade Agreement, which gave rise to 3.4% growth in Canada, or the Canada-European Union comprehensive economic and trade agreement, which is expected to increase Canada's GDP by 0.77%.
At a time of stagnant economic growth around the world, this boost from trade is especially valuable.
Trade is important across all regions of our country. In the Atlantic provinces, trade represents almost 74% of the region's GDP. In Ontario, total trade as a share of GDP is 71%. In B.C., almost 40% of exports are destined for the high-growth Asia-Pacific markets.
Canadians are traders, and our government energetically supports trade. Our party was elected on a pro-trade platform, and we will continue to support and work for high-quality trade agreements and opportunities. When the U.S. adopted discriminatory labelling practices that disrupted supply chains for our beef and pork producers, it was the enforcement of international trade rules at the WTO that gave our government, working closely with Mexico, the opportunity to fight back against U.S. protectionism. And, we won. That was a victory for multilateralism. It was a victory for Canada. It was a victory for beef and pork producers. I was proud to engage in that fight and to win it just eight weeks after we formed government.
Protectionist actions by our trading partners harm the Canadian economy. Maintaining an open, predictable, and fair international trading system is essential. Canadians understand this. However, it is also undeniable, as today's motion itself argues, that we are living in a time when protectionist sentiment is rising around the world. Since taking office, I have spoken to hundreds of Canadians about trade, including 84 interactions with 209 stakeholders on the TPP specifically.
Canadians want to be involved in the conversation. Important questions about how we negotiate trade agreements have been raised many times. Canadians are particularly concerned about the lack of transparency and consultation.
People feel that the previous government did not consult Canadians enough. That is why our government is so committed to building strong political consensus about progressive international trade.
That democratic, consultative approach is the only way to maintain public support for trade in this protectionist era, and it is the right thing to do.
Considering CETA, our work on this landmark agreement should leave no doubt about our commitment to free, fair, and progressive trade, and of our ability to get deals done. Early in our mandate, we recognized the importance of our relationship to Europe. We also recognized the clear need for progressive improvements if this deal were to be implemented. We responded to Canadians, to EU citizens, and to our businesses. We responded to concerns about fairness and transparency. As a result, this progressive trade agreement now enjoys wide support on both sides of the Atlantic.
In the investment chapter, we strengthened the right to regulate. This is something I am very proud and pleased to do. The sovereign right of democratically elected governments to regulate, in particular on issues like the environment, is something Canadians believe in, and so do Europeans. The secondary issue where we made important modifications was to the dispute resolution process. We made the system more ethical, more fair, and more transparent. I am proud of that too.
Last month, I travelled to Brussels and to Berlin to promote CETA, and I was very encouraged by what I heard. I was delighted to meet with the German Vice-Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel, the leader of the country's Social Democrats. He previously had concerns about CETA, but said at a press conference, alongside me, that “it is clearly a good agreement”. He called the new CETA a sign of good governance, consumer protection, environmental protection, and employee rights.
In June 2015, Matthias Fekl, France's minister of state for foreign trade, said that if France's proposals on the investor-state dispute settlement mechanism “are not taken into account, there will be no majority in France to ratify this treaty”. Thanks to our government's work, Mr. Fekl said that the comprehensive economic and trade agreement, CETA, is actually “a good agreement”.
Our work on CETA should leave no doubt as to our commitment to trade. It is concrete proof that our progressive approach can get deals done where the Conservatives failed to get the puck in the net, notwithstanding the hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars they spent celebrating an unfinished, troubled deal.
Now turning to the TPP, many of us were at the unveiling yesterday of the portrait of the Right Hon. Paul Martin, a man I am proud to call my friend. The comments he made yesterday bear directly on this issue. Let me quote them.
Parliament is important. [...] And I believe if Canadians are to take advantage of the opportunities that lie ahead in this ever-changing world, they will have to be presented with the choices before them. [...] And that means that Parliament must reclaim centre stage as the place where those choices are made.
Mr. Martin went on to say he applauded us, this Parliament for wanting to restore Canada's Parliament “to its proper function as the locus of the nation's great debate”. He continued on to say that he believes that parliamentary committees are one of the most valuable instruments that can be there, both for the government and for the opposition. I could not agree more, and I quote him for the parliamentary record for one particular reason.
I am very pleased that members of the House of Commons Standing Committee on International Trade are touring the country as we speak to consult Canadians in their own communities about the trans-Pacific partnership.
Today, committee members are in Windsor listening to Canadians. This week, they were in Montreal and Quebec City. Tomorrow, they will be in my city, Toronto. Last month, they talked to residents of Vancouver, Calgary, Saskatoon, and Winnipeg.
The committee is also urging Canadians to submit their views in writing, and I hope people will do so.
I applaud the leadership of this committee and its members from all parties. In the words of our 21st Prime Minister, this committee is embracing “the inherent strength of a Parliament that sends its committees out to meet the people.”
Our government has held consultations with over 400 stakeholders from across the country on the TPP. Over the next few weeks, I will personally be hosting two more town halls, one in Toronto and one in Montreal.
Canadians' views about this deal are particularly important because of the secretive and closed approach of the previous government. The Conservatives did not consult the essential groups, including, shockingly, trade unions. Even the car parts sector, which in 2015 shipped over $25-billion worth of goods, was shut out.
Do not trust me on this. Listen to Flavio Volpe, president of the Automotive Parts Manufacturers' Association, who recently said to the press:
No one in a position of authority invested in industry consultation before being dealt a terrible hand by major trading partners that did not have Canadian interests at heart when they negotiated the terms in our absence.
That was wrong. Our Prime Minister made a clear commitment in the campaign to ensure Canadians' voices would be heard. In fact, one of the first consultations I held on the TPP as minister was on November 30 with the auto parts manufacturers.
While we cannot make up for Canadians having been left in the dark by the Conservatives, we can provide opportunities for their views to be heard and considered now. We have the time to hold these essential discussions. Under the terms of the TPP agreement, all 12 signatories have until February 2018 to debate and discuss the agreement at home. That is what our partners are doing.
It is important for this House to understand that none of the 11 other TPP countries have yet ratified the agreement. Japan and Australia, in fact, will hold elections before moving ahead with their domestic processes. The U.S. is likely to do so as well.
The Conservatives know this, and the Conservatives should explain why they are today urging that Canadians alone do not deserve to have their voices heard.
Let me finish where I started. We are a trading nation. Trade is essential to our prosperity, to our standard of living, to growth, and to good-paying middle-class jobs. An open, transparent, fully democratic debate to inform an inclusive approach to trade is the only way to ensure that we are a successful trading nation in the 21st century and that we can beat back the waves of protectionism that are consuming so many other countries.
That is why it is essential to give Canadians an opportunity to debate and discuss the TPP, and that is exactly what we are doing.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Madam Speaker, I would like to start by thanking the member for Abbotsford for his really hard work on Canada's trade agenda. As trade critic, I enjoyed working with him when he was minister.
To the point that the member makes, the reality of Canada's trade relationships with the world is that it takes a Liberal government to get the deal done. That was true with NAFTA and that will be true with CETA. The member knows very well that the agreement was not signed and the legal scrub was not completed on his watch. CETA was languishing from September 2015 until we came into office. With CETA, we were able to get the deal done.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Madam Speaker, I would like to thank the member for her hard work on this issue.
When it comes to compensation, I spoke in my remarks about the need for a progressive trade agenda, an agenda that engages Canadians and builds their trust. Assuring Canadians that compensation for sectors of people displaced by trade agreements will be forthcoming and appropriate is an essential part of that progressive trade agenda. That is why with CETA, where we have pledged with the European Union to sign the deal in the fall and we hope it will come into force at the beginning of next year, we have begun consultations with, among others, the agricultural producers on compensation.
On TPP, as we are discussing today, our government's belief is that now is the time for discussion and debate about the agreement itself. However, we understand the need for compensation, absolutely.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Madam Speaker, as I said in my remarks, and as he suggested, now is a worrying time for all of those who, like us, appreciate the importance of trade and of an open world economy for good-paying Canadian middle-class jobs.
The only way for us to fight that protectionist current is to advance a truly progressive trade agenda. There are two essential ways to do that. One is to have an open, democratic, and consultative process so that people do not fear, as they have sometimes done in the past, that deals are done behind their backs and in secret. The second is to advance truly progressive goals, like protection of the environment, like strong labour standards, like rights for women in small businesses in trade agreements.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question.
First of all, I am very proud to quote Mr. Martin because he was an excellent finance minister and an excellent prime minister. I am proud that he was a Liberal.
As for compensation, as I have already said, we are currently in talks with agricultural producers. We have said so publicly. It is a very important discussion. We will reach an agreement on compensation, because we are absolutely in favour of that.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Madam Speaker, I have the utmost respect for the member for Abbotsford.
Since I only have a brief answer, I will say that you had from 2011 to plug that hole and you guys did not get the job done. It was the same with COOL, so—
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, we were very clear during the election that we support trade. We were also very clear that the TPP, which was negotiated in secret during the campaign, required broad national consultation. We promised that, and we are keeping our promise.
The trade committee, this week, is travelling the country to listen to Canadians. It is in Windsor today. It will be in Toronto tomorrow. It was in Montreal and Quebec City earlier this week.
I would also like to remind the hon. member that none of the 12 TPP countries has yet ratified this agreement and that we all have two years for an open, productive debate.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind the hon. member that, in fact, in the first quarter of 2016, our exports were $1.2 billion higher than they were during the same period last year.
We are reaching further. We are fighting protectionism as we did successfully with COOL, something again not achieved under his watch. We are opening up new markets with CETA, whose legal scrub has now been completed. That agreement will be signed this year, and not done under his—
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, I would like to start by reminding the hon. member that it was his government that left Canadians without a softwood lumber agreement. The previous agreement expired on his government's watch.
We are very aware of the importance of this issue. We have focused on it from day one. We raised this issue during our state dinner at the White House. We raised it at the highest levels.
I am working closely with the U.S. TR and with the industry. We will get this done.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, we are absolutely seized of the issue of softwood lumber. I am working very hard on this issue with my officials, with our ambassador to the United States, and with the industry.
I would urge the hon. member to have a coffee with the member for Abbotsford, who will point out that there is no connection between the softwood lumber agreement and the TPP.
I also want to say that we are negotiating for a good deal, but not just any deal. We will get a good deal for Canadian producers.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, our government and I understand how important the forestry industry is to Quebec and Canada.
That is why I am in regular contact with my American counterpart, Michael Froman, on this issue. We are working hard to figure out how to resolve this issue. Our objective is still to maintain stable access to the U.S. market for our industry.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, our government and I, personally, are very aware of the importance of the softwood lumber issue, and we are very focused on it.
On Friday, I spoke with my U.S. opposite member, Michael Froman, the USTR, about this specific issue. Later this afternoon, I am going to speak with Steve Thomson, the B.C. Minister of Forests, again about this issue.
We are negotiating hard, and on the state visit, I would like to remind members that one of the things we secured is a statement by President Obama, in public, in the rose garden, about the importance he personally attaches to—
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, we have been clear from the beginning: this issue is an absolute priority for this government.
I am pleased to announce that the Prime Minister and President Obama have expressed their interest in a long-term softwood lumber agreement. As I already said, I spoke with Mr. Froman about this issue on Friday.
Together with Quebec's forestry industry, we will continue to be in regular contact with stakeholders in Quebec and across the country.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, the NDP is opposed to the TPP without having read it, but this government is committed to consulting Canadians, and that is what we are doing.
Next week, the Standing Committee on International Trade will consult Canadians in Montreal, Quebec City, Windsor, and Toronto. This will be a very important consultation and debate for our country. I appreciate the contribution of the opposition members.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, I am afraid that is simply not true. The NDP opposed the TPP before even reading it during the campaign. We were all there.
We made a commitment to consult with Canadians, and that is what we are doing. Next week, I am delighted that the trade committee is actively consulting with Canadians. It will be in Montreal, Quebec City, Windsor, and Toronto.
This is a very important national debate. It is important not to cut it short.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, it is my job to promote Canada to the world. That is what I did in California, meeting with business leaders, cultural leaders, and the international media.
The Conservatives oppose the positive message that I delivered on television about Syrian refugees, and to the LA Times about reducing income inequality. I was proud to do it, and I would do it again.
The Conservatives' failure on these issues is why Canadians rejected their government last fall and why they are sitting on that side of the House.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, here is one of the things I said on TV during that visit: “I think it is incredibly important, particularly...after the Paris attacks, particularly now with [the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria] raging around the world, to stand up for real diversity and to say our diversity is our strength.”
Now, more than ever, the Conservatives should be joining us in speaking up for our belief in diversity around the world, including in the United States.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, I was proud to announce in February improvements to CETA's investment chapter to make it a more progressive deal. I recently travelled to Berlin and Brussels to promote its swift ratification. I was delighted to meet with German vice chancellor Sigmar Gabriel, the leader of Germany's Social Democrats, who previously had concerns about CETA, but who now says that it is clearly a “good agreement”.
The Conservatives spent hundreds of thousands of dollars celebrating CETA, but the truth is they did not get it done. We will.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, that question is a bit rich coming from the member opposite. He is a prime example of the damage that the Conservatives did to our relationship with the United States. For years under his watch as agriculture minister, our beef and pork farmers suffered from punitive, unfair U.S. country-of-origin labelling. He did nothing about it, but we did in our first eight weeks in office.
I will continue to work with and in the United States to support trade, jobs, and Canada's middle class.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, after a decade of Conservative damage, I am proud to promote Canada to the world.
Even the Conservatives saw value in promoting our ties to our largest trading partner. In fact, they spent $50,000 to hire one of Bush's top aides to arrange TV interviews in the United States. They defended that by saying, “Canada has a very good story to tell, and it won't tell itself”.
We could not agree more, but we do not need to pay Republican consultants. We get invited on our own merits.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, let me remind the Conservative member of his own hypocrisy.
Here is a news story: “The Conservative government has hired two former White House communications strategists as part of a 'sustained' effort to raise Canada's profile in”—
Some hon. members: Oh, oh!
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, I will continue to quote. That was “to help Harper land interviews with leading American”—
Some hon. members: Oh, oh!
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, here is what this is really about. The Conservatives do not oppose speaking to the U.S. media, even though they are not very good at it. What they oppose is the positive message I delivered on television about Syrian refugees, and to the LA Times about reducing income equality.
The LA Times called our new government's approach thoughtful, measured, and one that Americans should emulate.
The Conservative failure to show leadership on these issues is why Canadians rejected their government last fall.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, once again, the Conservatives are trying to create a story where there is none. It is my job to promote Canada in the United States.
In fact, just yesterday, I was pleased to be in Washington for a trilateral trade meeting with my American and Mexican counterparts. It was my sixth visit to the United States in six months. What I am hearing in the U.S. is that after a lost decade, Canada is finally back at the table.
I am going to keep going back and doing what the Conservatives failed to do: support trade, jobs, and our middle class.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives continue to try to create a story where there is none. The media appearances were part of the official visit, along with six business round tables. It is my job to promote Canada to the world.
However, since the members opposite are so interested in this topic, let me remind them that their own leader, the former prime minister, spent $50,000 of taxpayer money to get himself U.S. media appearances. We do not need to do that; we get invited.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, unlike the Conservatives, we know it is our government's job to promote Canada to the world.
When I travel to promote Canada, I am proud to speak to the international media. Just yesterday, I gave an interview to POLITICO in Washington.
As minister, I would like to list some of the other international interviews I have done. I have done an interview with MSNBC, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, the LA Times, and the Financial Times. I have done three BBC interviews. I have spoken to EU Trade Insights. I spoke to La Libre; Deutsche Welle, the German TV; Bloomberg Television; Handelsblatt—
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives continue to try to create a story where there is not one.
I would now like to share with the House some details of the business meetings I had when I was in California. Here are some of the people I met with: James Haney, senior VP and general manager of City National Bank, recently acquired by RBC; Greg Foster, CEO of IMAX; Creative BC, and Trade and Invest BC, were there; John Chiang, the treasurer of the state of California; and Jeff Gorell, deputy mayor.
Other meetings I had there included a reception with the Friends of BC, a meeting with Los Angeles economic leaders—
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, once again the Conservatives are trying to create a story where there is none. I have already listed the business meetings I held in California. However, unlike the Conservatives, who do not like the media, we understand it is our job to talk to the media at home and abroad.
I want to point out that I appeared in the media in California with some important Canadian partners, Senator Angus King of Maine, and the California Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, once again, the Conservatives are trying to create a story where there is none. It is my job to promote Canada abroad.
Since the opposition is so interested in this issue, I will repeat that they should keep in mind that it was their own former leader who spent $50,000 of taxpayer money to pay a consultant to find American interviews.
We do not have to pay Republican hacks to organize media appearances—
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, our work on CETA removes all doubt as to our commitment to free trade.
However, we promised to consult Canadians on the TPP. Our government has held over 250 consultations on the TPP. None of the member countries have ratified the TPP yet.
We know that the Conservatives do not believe in public debate, but we do.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, once again the Conservatives are trying to concoct a story where there is none.
It is my job to promote Canada and Canadian business around the world. Following the APEC summit in the Philippines, I was proud to visit California, one of our largest trading partners, larger than Japan, Germany, or the U.K., where I held six business round tables.
The Conservatives' accusations are absolutely wrong. All of our expenses were clearly posted months before this was raised.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, unlike the Conservatives, who do not really like the media, I know it is my job to promote Canada to the world.
In California, I appeared in the media with U.S. Senator Angus King of Maine and with Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom of California. I also spoke to the LA Times, which wrote a column about our economic policy, and I very proudly defended Canada's support for Syrian refugees, something I will do again and again.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, I have already answered that question, but since the members opposite are so interested in my promotion of Canada in California, let me talk about some of the meetings I held.
I met with U.S. Senator Angus King of Maine. I met with the Lieutenant Governor of California, Gavin Newsom. I met with Jim Haney, who is the senior VP and GM of City National Bank, recently acquired by RBC. I met with Greg Foster, the CEO of IMAX, a great Canadian company active in California.
I met with Creative BC and Trade and Invest B.C. I met with John Chiang, the treasurer of California. I met with Jeff Gorell, the deputy mayor of Los Angeles. There is more, but I have run out of time.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
As I have said, Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives are trying to concoct a story where there is none. Whether it is interviews with The Washington Post editorial board, the LA Times, BBC, or the many media interviews I did with German newspapers and with Bloomberg promoting CETA in Berlin last week, it is my proud job to promote Canada to the world.
Unlike the Conservatives, our open and transparent government speaks to the media, including international media. The Conservatives did everything possible to insult the media. We are doing things differently.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, once again, the Conservatives are trying to concoct a story where there is none. It is my job to promote Canada around the world, and I am proud of that. Following the APEC summit in the Philippines, I was proud to go to California for a trade visit. As everyone knows, California is one of our largest trading partners.
I repeat: the Conservatives' accusations are wrong, and all the rules were followed.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, we said during the election what we say today.
Our party understands, profoundly, that Canada is a trading nation. We also understand that with a trade deal as significant as the trans-Pacific partnership, we have a duty to consult broadly with Canadians. In fact, the trade committee is currently in British Columbia consulting.
As for consultations with farmers, I have personally held many in Alberta, and I do consult often with the farming community, including my own father, who is—
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, unlike the NDP that condemns this deal without even reading it, we are keeping our election promise. We promised to consult, and we are.
I would also like to point out that we learned something interesting about the New Democrats on Sunday. We learned they want to shut down our natural resource industry and we learned they want to say no to Canada trading in the world.
That is not good for Canada's middle class, including the union members the hon. member claims to represent.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, as the daughter of a farmer, I am proud of the support by our government for farmers. That has been manifested in our success with getting the discriminatory COOL legislation repealed, which is something that the previous government opposite failed to do.
Our commitment to free trade is manifested in our hard work on CETA, which legal scrub we have completed. Again, that is something the party opposite failed to do.
We are consulting on TPP, and that is the right thing to do as well.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, the NDP condemned the TPP without even reading it. That is not how we are doing it. We promised during the campaign to consult, and that is what we are doing. Joe Stiglitz is a friend of mine, as he said in his interviews, and I talk to him often. I spoke to him last week about the TPP.
However, I would like to urge the hon. member to talk to her own NDP colleagues; for example, Jen Anthony, an NDP delegate at the convention on Sunday, who said, “cattle producers are significant benefactors of this deal. It allows for a better open market—”
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, we are very aware of issues with enforcement of our rules surrounding supply management.
As my colleague, the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, has already said, we support supply management and we do so with our trade policy.
We are reviewing these rules right now and working very hard on it.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, once again, and for the second time in two days, the members opposite are looking for stories where there are none.
I will repeat, Ben worked in my constituency office and never worked in my ministerial office. It is his role to check with the ethics office, which he is doing and has done.
However, I do want to emphasize something important. I have met with innovators and entrepreneurs from across the country in the past. I will continue to do so, and I am proud to be doing that.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, I do know if something is wrong with the hearing on the other side of the House, but I think I am just going to have to repeat myself.
As I said, Ben Bergen worked in my constituency office. He never worked for me in my ministerial capacity.
I really want to underscore for any Canadian innovators and entrepreneurs who are listening today that I am proud to have met many Canadian innovators and entrepreneurs in the past. I will continue to do so. That is my job as Minister of International Trade.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her very long question, but I did hear it clearly.
We have made it clear from the beginning that this issue is an absolute priority for our government and for me personally. I am pleased to announce that the Prime Minister and the President expressed their interest in a long-term softwood lumber agreement during our visit to Washington. Our objective remains maintaining stable access to the U.S. market for Canada's softwood lumber industry.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, once again, the members opposite are looking for stories where there are none. Ben Bergen worked for me in my constituency office and never worked for me in my ministerial capacity. I am absolutely confident that he will follow all ethical guidelines.
I would like to add, however, that I am a strong supporter of Canadian innovators and entrepreneurs, particularly in the tech sector, and I am delighted to have met with him and will continue to support this crucial indigenous Canadian industry.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, I was delighted last month to announce that the legal review of this gold-plated deal was finally complete and that we have successfully responded to Canadians' concerns about transparency and fairness in the investment chapter.
I am thrilled that this progressive deal is now moving ahead at full speed toward implementation next year.
I am also pleased that this evening I will have a chance to discuss the agreement with visiting members of the European Parliament's trade committee—a further sign of the new momentum behind CETA.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, a big part of my mandate is promoting the Canadian brand abroad.
That is why I was so proud to welcome Canada's new education brand, EduCanada. This brand was developed in collaboration with the provinces and territories to help attract the brightest international students, who will act as ambassadors for Canada.
We will continue to market the quality of a Canadian education.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for her question.
This issue is a top priority. Our goal is to maintain stable access to the American market for Canada's softwood lumber industry. We will work with our American partners, and we are working very hard on this issue.
This specific issue has been raised with President Obama, Michael Froman, the U.S. trade representative, and Penny Pritzker, the U.S. Secretary of Commerce.
Our officials are working very hard on this file. It is important for Quebec, for B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario, and the Maritimes. We know it is important. We are hard at work.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, the forestry industry is incredibly important across this country. We are very aware of the significance of the softwood lumber agreement and we are working very hard on it.
I am proud to inform members that at our very first bilateral meeting with President Obama, I was fortunate to be there and our Prime Minister proactively raised this agreement. My officials and I are negotiating very actively. My officials were in Washington last week. We are working very hard on this deal. It is essential for Canadians.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, on the TPP, we are doing exactly what we promised we would do during the election campaign. We told Canadians that we would take the time to listen to Canadians and to consult widely on this deal. I myself have been part of more than 50 consultations, and our whole-of-government approach has included more than 200.
This is an important deal for Canadians to talk about. I hear perspectives both pro and con, and we will have a full parliamentary debate before any issue of ratification.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, the NDP is opposing the TPP without even having read it or consulted Canadians. We are doing exactly what we said we were going to do.
The NDP knows that signing the agreement is not the same as ratifying it. The NDP knows that, and it should tell Canadians the truth.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for London North Centre for his hard work on this file.
CanExport is a $50 million five-year program that gives small- and medium-size companies the support they need to explore new export opportunities. We unveiled CanExport last month and it was with great pleasure that the hon. Minister of Small Business and I announced just last week that 29 companies have already been approved for funding.
This is a great program. I encourage all of us to get the small- and medium-size companies in our ridings from coast to coast to coast to apply. Let us—
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my hon. colleague for his hard work. I, too, am a daughter and a granddaughter of farmers and ranchers. I am delighted to report to the House that on December 18, the U.S. Congress repealed this discriminatory legislation.
We have heard a lot about western jobs today, but I am really—
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, first, I hope the hon. member for Battlefords—Lloydminster will join with me in supporting and cheering the repeal of COOL.
When it comes to TPP, the former government negotiated the deal in secret without consulting with Canadians. We are keeping our promise to listen to Canadians and to consult on this deal. Since being sworn in, I have been part of more than 70 consultations on this issue. Today, I wrote a letter to my colleagues in the House and in the Senate asking committees to study it.
The Conservatives did not—
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, of course I will be at that meeting in New Zealand. I am pleased to report to the House that I met with many of the TPP ministers at the WTO ministerial, which was held at Davos.
We are working very closely with the other TPP countries and consulting with Canadians. This is an important issue and we are working hard on it.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, the New Democrats oppose this deal without reading it and without consulting with Canadians. We promised during the campaign to consult with Canadians and that is what we are doing. That is why since being sworn in as minister, I have already had more than 70 meetings about the TPP. That is why, today, I have written to my colleagues in the House and asked that our trade committee study the deal carefully.
The NDP knows, notwithstanding the posturing we have heard today, that signing and ratifying are very different things, and in trade deals technicalities really do matter.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate the member for Essex on her election and her first question in the House.
We absolutely understand that a deal of the magnitude of the TPP requires extensive public consultation. I have been engaged in that energetically. I would like to thank my colleague, the Minister of Innovation, who when it comes to the auto sector particularly has been working with me. We have spoken already with labour. We are having a couple of labour meetings this week. We have spoken with the car parts manufacturers. We are meeting with more car companies this week. Consultation is essential and we are looking forward to hearing from Canadians.
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