Mr. Speaker, our priority since the beginning of NAFTA negotiations has always been to get a good deal for Canadian workers, businesses and families. I am proud to say that with the new Canada-United States-Mexico agreement, our government stood firm and secured that good deal for Canada.

This agreement will be good for our economy, good for Canadian families and good for the middle class. It will safeguard more than $2 billion a day in cross-border trade and tariff-free access for more than 70% of Canadian exports. The new NAFTA agreement reinforces the strong economic ties between Canada, Mexico and the United States, while also recognizing the importance of inclusive trade by including key outcomes in areas such as labour and the environment, as well as gender and indigenous peoples. It preserves Canada's preferential access to the U.S. market, while updating and modernizing the old NAFTA agreement in areas such as digital trade, telecommunications and anti-corruption. Importantly, it means Canadian workers and their families will enjoy greater opportunities than ever before.

The member opposite will be happy to know that with the new NAFTA agreement, we have the strongest labour chapter of any trade agreement that Canada is party to. The agreement's labour chapter aims to level the playing field on labour standards and working conditions in North America, and contains commitments to ensure that national laws and policies provide protection for fundamental principles and rights at work. The new agreement also contains enforceable provisions that protect women's rights, minority rights and indigenous rights, and environmental protections that are the strongest in any Canadian trade agreement to date.

The comprehensive environment chapter includes ambitious environmental provisions, including core obligations for parties to maintain high levels of environmental protection and robust environmental governance. It also introduces new commitments to address global environmental challenges, such as illegal wildlife trade, illegal fishing and the depletion of fish stocks, species at risk, conservation of biological diversity, ozone-depleting substances and marine pollution.

Moreover, for the first time in a Canadian free trade agreement, the outcome incorporates a general exception that clearly confirms that the government can adopt or maintain measures it deems necessary to fulfill its legal obligations to indigenous peoples. As Perry Bellegarde said, “The provisions addressing Indigenous Peoples in the [deal] make it the most inclusive international trade agreement for Indigenous peoples to date”.

As constituents in Essex can also appreciate, the new NAFTA is a great deal for Canada's car sector and southwestern Ontario. The new rules of origin will work in favour of Canada's high-wage auto workers. We also have a gold-plated insurance policy that protects our auto industry from U.S. tariffs. Not only will it level the playing field for auto workers in cities such as Windsor and Oshawa, but it can help secure their future.

The new NAFTA deal is good for Canada's economic prosperity and good for middle-class Canadians. We are moving forward on a deal that works for the middle class and for people working hard to join it. We are proud of the good deal that was achieved for Canadians.

John Oliver

Transcript

Adjournment Proceedings

Discussions (0)