Mr. Ed Holder (London West, CPC): Mr. Speaker, Canada
is a trading nation. Two
thirds of Canadian jobs are trade dependent.
Canadian businesses and Canadian workers can compete on the world
stage but they rely on their government to open markets and expand
free trade.
As
our country begins to emerge from the global recession, it is
imperative that the government continues to open markets and expand
opportunities for Canadian workers and Canadian businesses.
Can
the Minister of International Trade please update this House on the
work the government is doing to open markets for Canadians?
International Trade Minister Peter Van
Loan: Our government knows that access to foreign
markets will help Canadian
exporters succeed.
That is why today I was proud to introduce the
Canada-Panama Free Trade Act.
Our agreement with
Panama
along with the
other deals our government has completed with Colombia, Peru,
Jordan
and
the European Free Trade Association states are just the beginning.
We
are also negotiating with the European Union - the richest market in
the
world.
Canadians can count on our government to
continue to oppose
protectionism and reach agreements that will expand free trade to
every
corner of the globe.
