Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, speaking of young Canadians, they are looking at this budget for generational opportunities. We are unlocking new markets for them. With budget 2025, we are getting young Canadians and young entrepreneurs export-ready through our SME export readiness program. Once they are export-ready, we will launch the CanExport program to support them in attending trade shows globally to showcase …
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Madam Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 32(2) and consistent with the policy on the tabling of treaties in Parliament, I have the honour to table, in both official languages, a treaty entitled “Canada-Indonesia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement” done at Ottawa on September 24, 2025.
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Madam Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 32(2) and in accordance with the enhanced transparency requirements set out in the amended policy on tabling of treaties in Parliament, I am pleased to notify the House of Commons of the government's intent to initiate negotiations for a Canada-Philippines free trade agreement. The Government of Canada intends to commence negotiations with the Philippines …
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for her important work on Filipino Heritage Month. Last week, I joined the Prime Minister in the Indo-Pacific, one of the fastest-growing regions in the world, to expand trade and investment opportunities for Canadians. We announced the launch of the Filipino and Thailand free trade agreement and led forward on the Canada-ASEAN FTA. The numbers typic…
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Mr. Speaker, our new government is supporting young Canadians with the skills and opportunities they need to build their futures. This is why, when the Prime Minister announced on campus just yesterday that we will double Canada's non-U.S. exports over the next decade, it mattered. We are talking about two-thirds of our economy driven by international trade. It means millions of jobs and more care…
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Mr. Speaker, young Canadians vividly remember when the Conservative Leader of the Opposition stood up and voted against the removal of interest from Canada student loans that saves young Canadians thousands of dollars every year. The new government will always stand up for young Canadians. Yesterday the Prime Minister announced that we will double non-U.S. exports by $300 billion. That means thous…
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Mr. Speaker, there is good news: Today we tabled legislation to expand the CPTPP trading bloc to welcome our partners from the United Kingdom, which is a major step forward for Canadian trade. Why the U.K.? The U.K. is Canada's third-largest trading partner. Last year alone, it represented $28 billion of Canadian exports. That is billions of dollars of Canadian products produced by Canadian worker…
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moved for leave to introduce Bill C-13, An Act to implement the Protocol on the Accession of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership. (Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)
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Madam Speaker, I would like to thank the member for Hamilton Mountain for her tireless work in her community. This is a game-changing announcement: Canada and Indonesia have signed a free trade agreement. Indonesia has a $2-trillion economy, and it is a huge market for Canadian goods produced by Canadian workers in communities across Canada. This is one way that our international efforts are leadi…
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Madam Speaker, our government expects Canadian companies to respect human rights at home and abroad. Canada’s National Contact Point is part of our commitment to further the effectiveness of OECD guidelines. The guidelines are the most complete and authoritative set of global standards on how to run a business responsibly. Canada’s National Contact Point contributes to the resolution of disputes. …
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Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister is building bridges internationally, and I have good news for Canadians. We just signed a generational trade agreement with Indonesia, the fourth-largest country in the world, with over 275 million potential consumers and the fastest-growing middle class that is looking to buy Canadian products. This is another concrete example of how our international efforts are o…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Davenport for her efforts in bringing together the Canadian Brazilian business community. It is those insights that I took to Brazil a few weeks ago as we announced the launch of Canada-Mercosur discussions, a trading bloc consisting of over 250 million potential consumers who want to buy more Canadian products. This is just one of the many initiatives that our …
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Mr. Speaker, I will not go to personal attacks, as the member opposite did. We will focus on the facts. There are people watching in the gallery. I think it is very important to know that Canada and Mexico have shared over 30 years of strong friendship and economic partnerships rooted in trust, trade and mutual respect. In fact, Canadian direct investment in Mexico was over $45 billion in 2024. Th…
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Mr. Speaker, under the provisions of Standing Order 32(2), and consistent with the policy on the tabling of treaties in Parliament, I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the treaty entitled “Protocol on the Accession of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership” done at Auckland and Bandar…
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Mr. Speaker, as we look at what is happening with global trade headwinds, we need to step up as a country and be there around the world to make sure countries know that we are here. They want to deal with a reliable, stable trading partner. It is our 15th free trade agreement with 51 different countries, with access to the 1.5 billion consumers countries rely on and Canadian workers rely on. That …
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Mr. Speaker, we will always defend our national interest in the best interest of Canadians. Last week, I sat down with the Minister of Commerce from China, Minister Wang, to talk about some of these issues that we are working though, whether it is canola, beef or pet food. These are some of the issues that came up at the table. We agreed to launch the JETC, the joint economic and trade commission,…
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Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate the hon. member for Mississauga Centre on his recent election win. I recently attended CANSEC, Canada's largest defence trade show, and it had over 40 international delegations present. It was an opportunity for me to meet with industry leaders, connect with international delegations, and see world-class innovation first-hand. The industry supports over 200,000 …
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Madam Chair, I got sworn in, and in my very first week we were running out the door and making sure we are representing this country really well. I attended the inauguration of President Noboa. Ecuador is an important market for us, roughly 20 million people. We have marked the conclusion of negotiations on a trade agreement that will be coming to Parliament for ratification very soon. There are r…
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Madam Chair, I thank my colleague for that very important question about working with all parliamentarians. It is about working with committees. It is about working to grow existing trade relationships, but also creating new ones. In working together, working with ambassadors in this country and working with committees, it is very important that we all play a role, because trade impacts all of our…
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Mr. Speaker, coming back to the conversation at hand, the U.S. is an important partner for Canada. These are some of the issues and irritants that our Minister responsible for Canada-U.S. Trade is working through with his U.S. counterparts.
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Mr. Speaker, the World Trade Organization plays a very important role. Last week I had meetings in Paris through the WTO. There are important mechanisms in place, and we already have that in action.
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Mr. Speaker, as I said, the canola industry is very important to our government. Today I heard about opportunities in the Philippines. The Philippines is a large market for the industry. We also opened up a new agriculture office in Manila to help with that.
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Mr. Speaker, as you know, my mandate is to help diversify trade around the world for Canadian businesses. That is what Canadian businesses expect us to do, especially when we go through some difficulties with our neighbour down south, and that is what my focus will be as a trade minister.
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Yes, Madam Chair, the Philippines provides ample opportunities. Earlier today, I met with leaders from the agriculture sector who talked about the agriculture office that we opened in Manila, Philippines, and the type of opportunities that office is providing. Now we see more of our beef going to that region and more of our meat products going to the Philippines. It is an important region that we …
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Mr. Speaker, Canadians have given us a mandate to diversify trade, and that is what we will stay focused on, because that is what those watching at home want us to focus on.
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Mr. Speaker, one in six jobs depend on trade, and Canadians expect us to continue to focus on trade at this very moment. We are in a crisis, and we need to stay focused here.
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Mr. Speaker, as the member opposite very well knows, I am not the Minister of Public Safety, and this is outside my scope.
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Mr. Speaker, today I sat down with agriculture leaders, especially in the canola sector, and what they asked me to do was to work through issues with China and to open up new markets. That is exactly what we will be focused on.
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Madam Chair, as this is my first time rising for a speech in this House, I would like to take a moment to thank my incredible team of volunteers, my family and, of course, the residents of Brampton East for their support and for putting their trust in me to serve them here in Ottawa. I would also like to take a moment to congratulate all members of this House on their recent election wins. I look …
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Mr. Speaker, last week in Paris, I met directly with my counterpart, Minister Wang, the minister of commerce, to work through these issues. The Prime Minister talked to the Chinese premier to work through issues as well. Conversations are happening at the highest levels.
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Mr. Speaker, it is important to note that Indonesia is a market that we recently concluded negotiations with. Ecuador is another market that we recently concluded negotiations with. Indonesia is a big market, with over 250 million people; also, the Philippines is having conversations as well. What I heard today from the agriculture sector is the Indo-Pacific region—
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Mr. Speaker, trade is at the heart of what we do. It is important to note that the WTO plays a very prominent role to make sure that trade rules are protected. These trade panels could take up to a year, but we want to make sure that we are dealing in fair trade with all of our partners.
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Mr. Speaker, last week in Paris, I met with over a dozen trade ministers from regions all around the world. They want what Canada is producing, so we have a lot of opportunities for trade diversification, and that is exactly what I will be focused on.
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Mr. Speaker, last week in my meeting with Minister Wang, we talked about reopening JETC, which is the Joint Economic and Trade Commission, to have ongoing discussions to work through disputes, which is a great step forward. Also, the Prime Minister had a conversation with the Premier of China to talk about what more we can do to have more of these conversations to resolve these disputes.
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Mr. Speaker, I am working with the Minister responsible for U.S.-Canada Trade to make sure we are able to work through this with our American allies. It is important to note that the softwood lumber industry is very important to our government.
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Mr. Speaker, the canola industry is very important to this government. That is why, today, I met with leaders from the canola industry. I was also in Paris last week, where I sat down with China's minister of commerce, Wang Wentao, to work through some of these issues.
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Mr. Speaker, it is important to note that we will always be there for our agriculture sector, but that is out of my scope. That is a question for the Minister of Agriculture. However, I want the agriculture industry to know that we will continue fighting for it and opening up new markets.
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Madam Chair, it is important to note that we are working hard to make sure that discussions continue to flow, and President—
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate the member opposite for his recent election win and welcome him to the House. The member is talking about new markets. My first trip was to Ecuador. I was sworn in, and a week later I was in Ecuador to finalize negotiations on a trade agreement. We are working with Indonesia as well to unlock more markets there, and we have committed to finalizing an agree…
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Mr. Speaker, this gives me a chance to highlight our recent announcement in the defence sector. Our defence sector plays a crucial role in our exports, and I look forward to working with the industry to get it into newer markets, as well as growing into existing markets such as the European Union.
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate the member on his critic role. I look forward to working with him. Of course, the U.S. is an important trading partner, and discussions are happening at the highest levels.
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Mr. Speaker, it is important to note that while the previous Conservative government capitulated and signed any deal possible, we want to make sure we get the right deal for Canadians by protecting the industry and ensuring that tariffs do not apply to our important softwood lumber industry.
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Mr. Speaker, trade flows in many different ways through services and through merchandise. I think it is important to note that Canadian companies, and today I met with members of the agriculture sector, expect us to diversify our trading markets, especially in—
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Mr. Speaker, the softwood lumber industry, whether in B.C., in Ontario, across Canada, in Quebec or in eastern Canada, is a very important industry to us as a government and to the workers. We will continue to support them, but we want to make sure we get the best deal possible.
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Mr. Speaker, today we are answering questions as ministers on our respective files. I think that is very important to note for those watching at home.
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Mr. Speaker, the deal that was referred to involved quotas; it involved restrictions on Canadian softwood lumber. That is not the deal we want to get signed. We want to make sure we get the best deal possible for Canadian lumber.
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Madam Chair, as I was saying, the Prime Minister had a discussion with the premier in China. These discussions are ongoing at the highest levels to ensure that we continue to ensure that Canadian companies have—
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague from Scarborough—Agincourt for her tireless advocacy. I have hit the ground running. A couple of weeks ago I was in Ecuador, meeting with regional leaders and marking the conclusion of a new trade agreement that is to come. Last week I was in Paris, meeting with a dozen trade ministers to talk trade and economic opportunities. Canada has what the wor…
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Madam Chair, that is a very important question around trade agreements and why they are important to our economy. Currently, Canada has 15 trade agreements, opening access to over 50 countries and 1.5 billion consumers. When we sign a trade agreement, it is not only about trade; it is also about investments, so that sends a clear signal to Canadian investors and Canadian expertise to create jobs i…
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Mr. Speaker, I think we need to come back to the issue at hand. Canadians want us to stay focused on trade diversification, especially the Minister of International Trade. That question would be more related to CBSA and to the Minister of Public Safety.
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