Yasir Naqvi
Ottawa Centre, Ontario · Liberal · Canada
“They have an impact on our country, our economy and people's livelihoods. Of course, they have an impact on young people as well. That is why I think it is incumbent upon all of us, regardless of which political background we come from, to share those ideas.”
“This will create opportunities for young people in skilled trades that are so needed across the country, and it will align with Canada's housing infrastructure and defence needs, where a tremendous amount of investment is being made.”
“In particular, I want to thank him for really making clear how much he believes in this country and how much he believes in a strong Alberta within a very strong and united Canada. I thank him for that. The member is absolutely right.”
“Listening to the debates that take place in this particular House allows us to to be better champions of Canada and to better understand, love and respect this country. I look forward to that opportunity. I would like to ask the hon.”
“Mr. Speaker, let me start by wishing you a restful summer. I know it has been a very busy sitting. I want to thank the entire House of Commons staff for their remarkable work in supporting us in the important work we do on behalf of our constituents. It is a great honour for me to serve Ottawa Centre. Some hon. members: Oh, oh!”
“Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member again for the work he is doing. I briefly want to talk about the Canada summer jobs program, because I know it benefits young people across the country in all our respective constituencies. In my riding of Ottawa Centre alone, almost 600 jobs have been created.”
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“There are so many young people who want to be part of skilled trades, and the investment we are making through our government in that regard is going to create a huge benefit. Once again, I wish a happy summer to everyone. I look forward to continuing this important work.”
“Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member again for the work he is doing. I briefly want to talk about the Canada summer jobs program, because I know it benefits young people across the country in all our respective constituencies. In my riding of Ottawa Centre alone, almost 600 jobs have been created. I run into young people who have taken part in the program in the past or are part of the program now, and it helps them to create networks and opportunities. Now they are starting to do important things in their lives. We need to make sure those opportunities exist, whether in the not-for-profit sector or with private enterprise. That is important work. I want to highlight that I think investment in skilled trades is so important.”
“I also want to take a moment to talk about Canada's summer jobs, which are extremely important, including in my riding. I see my time is up.”
“This will create opportunities for young people in skilled trades that are so needed across the country, and it will align with Canada's housing infrastructure and defence needs, where a tremendous amount of investment is being made. We are also making major investments in our workers, with initiatives such as the labour market development agreements with the provinces and territories. These labour market development agreements are provided by the federal government through funding and coordination at the national level to ensure consistency and alignment. Provincial and territorial governments will then have the flexibility to design and deliver the programs and services best suited to the needs of their local labour markets. We are investing about $2.9 billion in those agreements.”
“They have an impact on our country, our economy and people's livelihoods. Of course, they have an impact on young people as well. That is why I think it is incumbent upon all of us, regardless of which political background we come from, to share those ideas. I respect the member for putting forward ideas that will help boost youth employment. That is not a partisan issue. I think it is an aspiration that we all share, and it is important that we all work together. However, on our side, as a government, we are seized with the issue. We have been working hard to make sure that we create those opportunities for young people. This year's spring economic update reaffirms a new investment of $6 billion to recruit, train and hire up to 100,000 new Red Seal skilled trade workers in the next five years.”
“Listening to the debates that take place in this particular House allows us to to be better champions of Canada and to better understand, love and respect this country. I look forward to that opportunity. I would like to ask the hon. member if there would be an opportunity for some of us from provinces like Ontario to go and spend time with him so that we can speak to Albertans, our fellow Canadians, as one. I would look forward to that opportunity, if he could please reach out. The member raised a very important issue about youth employment. Colleagues know we are living through precarious times right now. There is a lot of anxiety in the country because of the unjustified trade war we are in, the protectionism we are seeing in the world and the wars that are taking place.”
“In particular, I want to thank him for really making clear how much he believes in this country and how much he believes in a strong Alberta within a very strong and united Canada. I thank him for that. The member is absolutely right. I am from Ontario, but it is incumbent upon all of us to make an effort to understand Alberta better, better understand the concerns of Albertans and how they are feeling, and make sure that we work together to keep them as part of this country. I think we are stronger as a country when we all work together. In this place, one of the most important things I have learned is to really pay attention to what others are saying. That allows us the opportunity to learn about this beautiful, vast country of ours, because we come from our different corners.”
“Mr. Speaker, let me start by wishing you a restful summer. I know it has been a very busy sitting. I want to thank the entire House of Commons staff for their remarkable work in supporting us in the important work we do on behalf of our constituents. It is a great honour for me to serve Ottawa Centre. Some hon. members: Oh, oh! Yasir Naqvi: Mr. Speaker, there is a lot of cheering. It feels like the last day of school. That is how my kids felt this morning, by the way, as we were leaving home. This is a similar feeling. I also want to thank the member for Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan for his hard work. I know he works extremely hard on behalf of his constituents. I know he is a very engaged father. I have often seen him around here with his children.”
“Mr. Speaker, the Canadian Indo-Caribbean Organization of Ottawa is celebrating the 25th anniversary of its annual multicultural event. This special occasion is a celebration of the culture, heritage and identity of the Indo-Caribbean community. It is an opportunity to recognize the many valuable contributions the Indo-Caribbean community has made to Canada, particularly in the national capital region. I want to congratulate my friend Peter Maharaj, who is here on the Hill, for his hard work and dedication in organizing this wonderful event over the years. I send much gratitude to all of the volunteers in our community for assisting in the success of this multicultural event year after year. Congratulations. Here is to 25 more years of celebrating Canada's Indo-Caribbean community.”
“Mr. Speaker, if Conservatives ever wonder why Canadians do not trust them and elect them as government, it is unserious questions like this, and what we continue to see in this House is great evidence of this. As all Canadians know, we are living in some very challenging times. We are engaged in an unjustified trade war with the United States. There are wars that are going on in the world that have an impact not only on the Canadian economy, but on the economy worldwide. However, we are focused on building our economy by making sure that we are engaged in diversifying our trade. We will continue to do that work to create good-paying jobs for all Canadians.”
“Madam Speaker, our strategy creates a national AI literacy initiative that will reach one million post-secondary students and 3,000 teachers. It will offer up to 90,000 AI-related jobs and work placement opportunities for young Canadians. We are also helping SMEs adopt AI by investing $1 billion in programs like regional AI initiatives and the LIFT program.”
“Madam Speaker, I appreciate that the opposition has a job to do, which is to critique the government, but, as a government, our focus is to build our economy. That is why we have been working very hard to make sure that we diversify our trade and that we open more markets for Canadian businesses. The results are coming in. It has been reported that 88,000 new jobs have been created. We are also not leaving people behind. That is why, as of today, the groceries and essentials benefit is going to be coming to people. They will be getting, additionally, up to $533 for a family with two kids. This is how we are helping Canadians.”
“Madam Speaker, it is a great joy to celebrate the Great Glebe Garage Sale in my community of Ottawa Centre. If anyone happens to be in Ottawa, in my community, on the third Saturday of every May, the Great Glebe Garage Sale is the place to go. For 40 years, neighbours have participated in this sale. People can get such incredible, great deals on hidden treasures that people have stored in their basements. It also acts as a fundraiser for the Ottawa Food Bank. There were 25,000 people who came out this year. It was incredible. My team was there as well. I want to thank the Glebe Community Association for organizing this incredible event every year. I congratulate all the volunteers; John Crump, president; June Creelman, vice-president; and Sam Woods, who coordinated the 40th version of the Great Glebe Garage Sale.”
“Mr. Speaker, it is worth repeating that forced labour is completely unacceptable. We take all steps necessary to ensure that we keep our supply chain free from forced labour. We, in fact, put a lot of work and rigour into ensuring that, in all our trade agreements, we have stringent labour standards and provisions according to international labour standards. We will continue to do that work. We will continue to enforce our laws. We will continue to make sure that our supply chain is free of forced labour so that we can protect Canadian workers and workers abroad.”
“Mr. Speaker, all goods entering the country are subject to import controls and rigorous verification processes. The Canada Border Services Agency conducts risk analyses to identify and intercept any goods that are likely to have been produced using forced labour, and it reports back to Parliament every year. We will protect Canada's interests while standing up for high labour standards for all workers.”
“Mr. Speaker, forced labour is unacceptable. We must ensure that our global supply chains are free of these kinds of abusive practices. We are working closely with the relevant minister and the entire government to reduce forced labour in the supply chain. This is also why we are making it a priority to have comprehensive labour provisions included in the free trade agreement, to promote international labour standards.”
“Mr. Speaker, as the minister before me said, forced labour is absolutely unacceptable. That is why we are always working hard to ensure that we have our supply chain completely protected. That is why various departments within the Government of Canada, as per the strict laws we have in place, work all the time to ensure that we stop any shipments that are a result of forced labour. In fact, that is why, in all our trade agreements, we make sure that we have stringent labour provisions to uphold international labour standards. We will continue to do so, to make sure that we protect Canadian workers and workers abroad.”
“Mr. Speaker, the members opposite can be as gleeful and as jovial as they want, but Canadians know that this is a very serious moment for our country. That is why they require serious leadership. That is why they have elected a leader and a party that have a plan to diversify our economy. We not only will engage with the United States and Mexico to get the best deal possible for our country, but we will also build bridges and new partnerships around the world with China, India, Southeast Asia and Mercosur. That is where our focus is and we will not stop until we create good-paying jobs for all Canadians.”
“Mr. Speaker, I think it is time to get serious. I think members of the opposition and Canadians know that we are in very uncertain economic times and that we are engaged in a trade war that is not of our making. That is why the Prime Minister and the government have a plan. That is why we are so focused on diversifying our trade and engaging in free trade agreements with countries around the world. That is why we are selling uranium to India. That is why we are selling planes to Malaysia and selling canola to China. Our plan is working. We will keep working hard to make sure we are creating good-paying jobs for all Canadians.”
“Mr. Speaker, Canadians recognize that we are living in some really economically uncertain times. There are unjustified tariffs on Canadian autos, steel, lumber and aluminum, and there is a war going on in the Middle East that is impacting our economy and the global economy. That is why this Prime Minister and this government have a plan. Our plan includes diversifying our trade, making sure that we are engaging with other countries so that we can sell more of our goods and services. That is why we are investing hundreds of billions of dollars into our economy, so that we can keep creating good-paying jobs for Canadians.”
“Mr. Speaker, I had the opportunity to attend a flag-raising ceremony at city hall in my community of Ottawa Centre to celebrate Africa Day. Representatives from multiple African nations and leaders of the African diaspora came together to celebrate the 63rd anniversary of the African Union and its work to advance a more peaceful, sustainable and prosperous Africa. The continent of Africa is big and beautiful. It is rich in diversity and opportunity. Canada's Africa strategy is an integral road map for shared economic prosperity and security. I want to thank the African Union's Sixth Region here in Canada for its hard work to make this important event a success.”
“Mr. Speaker, that is precisely what we are doing. We are living in uncertain times, and our focus is on creating more opportunities for Canadian businesses, including our hard-working farmers, to be able to export around the world. In fact, if we talk to farmers, we hear that they are very excited about the opportunities we are creating for them in India, China, the Philippines and other ASEAN countries, and places like Mercosur. We are working closely with our farmers. We are working closely with our industries. We are listening to their views, and our negotiations will reflect the needs of Canadians so we can create good-paying jobs for all Canadians.”
“Mr. Speaker, we are engaged in active negotiations throughout the world to create more opportunities for Canadians to create more good-paying jobs for our farmers and for our industries across Canada. That includes a negotiating agreement with Mercosur, which is the fifth-largest trading bloc in the world, with a GDP of somewhere between $3 trillion and $3.5 trillion. In that process, we are working with farmers, we are working with industries and we are working with stakeholders. Just today, I met with the Canadian Cattle Association. The minister met with them last week. We are working together to make sure that we create good-paying jobs for all Canadians.”
“Mr. Speaker, today, along with parliamentarians, members of the Canadian Armed Forces, veterans and families, I had the honour of attending the groundbreaking ceremony marking the start of the construction phase of Canada's national monument to the mission in Afghanistan, a permanent memorial to the 158 members of the Canadian Armed Forces and seven civilians who lost their lives. It is also a tribute to the more than 40,000 Canadians who served during our country's largest military deployment since World War II. (1415) [ Translation ] We are also changing the way we honour veterans of modern conflicts. [ English ] It is an honour to represent Ottawa Centre and to represent the community where this monument will reside. At its core, this must be a space for all Canadians.”
“Madam Speaker, climate change is a global challenge that calls on all countries to act. It also presents opportunities for those willing to invest in the future. In our spring economic update, we renewed Canada's international climate finance to help scale up investments in sustainable solutions across the developing world. It means crowding in private capital, including through FinDev Canada, to maximize the impact of every dollar and it means creating opportunities for Canadian clean tech, expertise and innovation to scale solutions around the world.”
“Mr. Speaker, we are focused on making life better for Canadians. One of the many measures in the spring economic update is the changes to the disability tax credit, which would make it easier for Canadians living with disabilities to be approved for the financial relief they deserve. These changes will streamline the application process by immediately certifying anyone who has their disability certified by a medical practitioner and expanding the list of medical practitioners who can certify the disabilities. I want to thank the Parkdale Food Centre in my community of Ottawa Centre, the Canadian Medical Association and the College of Family Physicians of Canada for their advocacy on the importance of these changes. These measures are just some of the many ways that our government is building Canada strong for all.”
“Mr. Speaker, these are very serious times in our country, in fact globally. Canadians understand that we are living through a precarious time and that we have to work extremely hard to ensure that we build our economy and invest in Canadians so they are supported through these difficult times. Canadians deserve serious leadership, and that is precisely what the Prime Minister and the government are doing: We are investing in Canadians as a bridge to a better future tomorrow. That is the work we are doing, whether it is the work we are doing in diversifying our economy here in Canada and opening new countries as places to—”
“I also thank all of the parliamentary press gallery members, the sponsors, the volunteers, the staff and the Christie Lake Kids staff team for making this such an incredible event.”
“Mr. Speaker, you missed an amazing basketball game this Wednesday. The all-party basketball team made up of MPs and staff was victorious yet again this year, by just two points, against the parliamentary press team. It was done to support Christie Lake Kids, which is an incredible charity in my community of Ottawa Centre that provides recreational supports for so many kids in our community. The charity basketball tournament this year raised $20,000. It is just incredible. I want to give a special shout-out to our teammates, the hon. members for Kenora—Kiiwetinoong , La Prairie—Atateken , Sackville—Bedford—Preston , Victoria , Whitby , Honoré-Mercier and Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River . These were incredible players.”
“Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister and the government will continue to work hard to get the best deal with the United States for Canadians. Our criterion is simple: The deal has to be one of the best deals. However, Canadians also realize that if our country relies on only one country for its trade, that could turn into a weakness. That is why it is imperative that we work hard to diversify our trade, to trade, and to create more markets around the world. That is why we are working with India, China, Southeast Asian countries and Latin America to ensure that Canadian businesses have more opportunities to create good jobs right here in Canada.”
“Mr. Speaker, we are building big things again in Canada. After generations of studies and delays, the federal government is delivering on an essential high-speed train that will connect the most densely populated part of our country, and Ottawa will be at the heart of the new Alto high-speed train. The mayor and the City of Ottawa recognize what a transformative project this will be. The Ottawa Board of Trade says that Alto will deliver a larger labour market, easier access to clients and partners across the corridor, and new investment and development opportunities around all station areas. We are talking about $24.5 billion in annual economic activity. Alto will be good for jobs. Alto will be good for the economy. Alto will be good for Ottawa, and Alto will be good for Canada.”
“Mr. Speaker, I want to be absolutely clear to all members of this House: Forced labour is unacceptable. We must ensure that our global supply chains remain free from these abuses. That is why we prioritize the inclusion of comprehensive labour provisions and free trade agreements to promote international labour standards. We also work with Public Safety to reduce forced labour from our supply chains, and we will protect Canada's interests while upholding labour standards from all workers.”
“Mr. Speaker, Eid is a time to celebrate with family and friends, and for communities to come together in joy and solidarity. I was happy to join members of my community in Ottawa Centre and the diplomatic corps at a celebration organized by Abbis Mahmoud and Koussei Kurbaj that combine the Eid celebration and fundraising for the Ottawa breakfast program. The program is run by the Ottawa Network for Education. It serves over 16,000 students every day in 215 schools across Ottawa. Events like this complement our government's efforts through the national school food program to support childhood development, save money for families and, of course, feed children. That is what Eid is all about. Eid Mubarak to everyone.”
“The legislation would not create some sort of bubble zone. Frankly speaking, the federal government really does not have the jurisdiction. That falls more within property rights that are within the provincial space or municipal space. I believe that there has been very thoughtful and clear deliberation in the manner in which the bill has been designed. It is on the right track.”
“Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his excellent question. [ English ] This is a very important point, as to where those lines are. I think it is important to clarify that the bill is not a bubble-zone legislation. I know it is more commonly referred to as creating some sort of a bubble zone around places of worship, community centres or schools. That is not what the bill does. It does not talk about distances or exclusion zones, nor does it put any prohibition on having gatherings or holding signs on a public street. Of course, people have the right to protest. What we are talking about is obstruction or interference. What we are talking about is the intent to prevent somebody from going to their place of worship, school or community centre. That is a very specific thing that has been addressed in the bill.”
“Mr. Speaker, I think what we are considering here today is the entire bill, Bill C-9 . I went through, in quite some detail, the five pillars of the bill, that make the bill. The Conservatives have chosen to divide our communities. They have chosen to just pick one very small aspect of the bill, as opposed to looking at its entirety, something that is supported by Canadians coast to coast to coast, something that was part of our platform, upon which many people voted for us. We are fulfilling this commitment. There have been hours and hours of deliberation, debate not only here in the House but in committee. I am grateful that the bill is better because of that process. It is important that we pass the bill through the House, so that it can be law as soon as possible.”
“Mr. Speaker, the member is somebody who, by the way, wears a collar. He knows what it means to work with communities and to protect communities. We have seen so much victimization happen in the country over the last few years because of people's religious beliefs. It is incumbent upon us to provide protections for them, to make sure that people are not being victimized because of their faith, sexual orientation or identity. That is precisely what the bill is trying to do. It is an important piece of legislation. Let us not obstruct this any further and pass it through the House as quickly as possible.”
“An example is the removal of the “religious defence” that was added in 1970 before the charter. Now, we have the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. We have religious protection within the charter. We do not need a stand-alone defence. Regardless, there is a better “for greater certainty” clause included in it. The Attorney General consent piece has been reinstated. The definition of hatred has been strengthened, and there have been some changes in relation to hate symbols. I appreciate the opportunity to speak on this bill. I am thankful it has come to this stage, and I am hopeful that it will pass through the House very soon, so that we can start working together, enforcing law like this and making sure that all our communities are safe for our Jewish neighbours, our Muslim neighbours and all Canadians.”
“These are hateful symbols that hearken back to the Holocaust and the senseless murder of six million Jews. As well, symbols associated with terrorist entities listed under the Criminal Code, such as the Proud Boys or al Qaeda, will be covered under this. We may hear from the opposition that this bill is about one small issue, but this is an extensive piece of legislation that covers so many things. This bill has gone through 30-plus hours of study. More than 35 witnesses, including community organizations, legal experts and faith leaders, have contributed to this bill. What we see from the opposition is obstruction, which is regretful. In my view, the end result is that this is a more thoughtful bill. Changes have been made to this bill that make it even better and stronger.”
“What we have done in this instance is we have taken the definition from the Supreme Court of Canada and are now codifying it in the Criminal Code. Importantly, hatred is being defined as an “emotion of an intense and extreme nature that is clearly associated with vilification and detestation.” Lastly, the fifth pillar proposes a new prohibition on the display of certain symbols. The bill contemplates the existing offence of wilful promotion of hatred by recognizing a modern form of expression, which is the public display of hate and terrorist symbols. When someone displays these symbols with the intent to wilfully promote hatred, beyond just mere display, it becomes a distinct offence. There are many examples of protests taking place where somebody is displaying the Nazi hakenkreuz or the Nazi double Sig-Rune .”
“In other words, the law would formally recognize the crime as a hate crime from the outset, relying on the existing legal definition of hatred, which is also codified in this bill. I will come to that in a moment. What does this mean? For example, if someone assaults another person because of their religion or sexual orientation, that assault would be treated differently from a regular assault and could lead to a tougher penalty to clearly denounce crimes committed against people because of who they are. The fourth pillar, as I mentioned earlier, is the codification of the definition of hatred. Believe it or not, we do not have a definition of hatred in our Criminal Code. We have guidance from the Supreme Court of Canada.”
“This bill would create a new offence to prohibit behaviour meant to intimidate, threaten or scare people from entering a building primarily used for religious worship or by an identifiable group such as community centres, against schools or seniors' residences. An example would be masked individuals staring down worshippers outside a mosque or shouting threats at parents dropping their children at a religious school. The third pillar of this bill proposes a new stand-alone hate crime offence, and it is extremely important. This stand-alone hate crime offence means that when someone commits any crime because of hatred towards a specific group, such as one based on race, religion, sex, disability, sexual orientation or gender identity, that hate is treated as part of the offence itself, not just something considered later at sentencing.”
“If I had to provide a summary, there are five important pillars to this bill that I want to articulate for the benefit of all members. The first pillar, and the most important aspect of the bill, is the proposal to create a new obstruction offence. The bill would create a new offence that would prohibit blocking or interfering with lawful access to a building primarily used for religious worship, or by an identifiable group, such as a community centre, school or seniors' residence. An example would be a group of people forming a chain in front of a synagogue, for example, or lighting a fire at the entrance of a school to stop people from entering. (1220) The second pillar that is also important is the creation of a new intimidation offence.”
“As my colleague from Brantford—Brant South—Six Nations was saying, he is a former prosecutor, so he knows the application of law really well. I have had the honour of serving as the attorney general in this province as well, and I have had to deal with hate crime-related offences and charges. I do bring some experience to the context of why this important piece of legislation is so necessary. The bill, is targeted, presenting a suite of Criminal Code reforms to protect safe access to community spaces. It denounces hate-motivated crimes. It clarifies the meaning of hatred. It would criminalize the wilful promotion of hatred by publicly displaying hate or terrorism symbols. These are some really important aspects of the bill.”
“In 2023, there were 4,777 reported incidents of hate, which marked a 32% rise from 2022 to 2023 in hate incidents. This was the third consecutive sharp increase in four years, with the total number of hate crimes more than doubling, to around 145%, since 2019. All this is extremely important, and it provides the necessary context by which we need to bring this legislation. Just debating it and just issuing statements saying that hate has no space in our country is not sufficient anymore. I have heard that from my community members, especially from the Jewish community here in Ottawa Centre. They have implored the government and all members of this House, including in the opposition, to pass Bill C-9 as quickly as possible so that we can strengthen those positions.”
“The context of this legislation is extremely important. We hear about this often from our communities and it has been debated in this House. There has been a very significant rise in hate crimes in our country, particularly when it comes to anti-Semitism. In the last two years, we have seen a very dramatic rise in anti-Semitic acts, not to mention within the Muslim community. The data confirms that there has been rise in Islamophobia, and there are other groups that also have faced hate. This has led to the question of making sure that we have strengthened provisions within the Criminal Code so that we can deal with this odious hate that is spreading in our communities, especially as it relates to anti-Semitism and, of course, Islamophobia. I will very quickly share some data with the House.”
“Mr. Speaker, I am standing here as the member of Parliament for Ottawa Centre, which is a great honour that the good people of my community have given me. I am very much looking forward to speaking again on Bill C-9 , which is a very important piece of legislation. It emanates from a platform commitment that my party, the Liberal Party of Canada, made in the last election after consulting many groups around the country about the importance of having strong anti-hate legislation so that all members of our respective communities feel safe. I was really proud when this was part of our campaign platform. I am even prouder that it was then converted into a piece of legislation and that we have come to this stage, very close to hopefully passing it through this House and then off to the other place.”
“Mr. Speaker, some of the main challenges facing many seniors are isolation, staying active and engaging with their neighbours and communities. Addressing those challenges is the core mission of The Good Companions Seniors' Centre in my community of Ottawa Centre, and it has been pursuing that for the past 70 years. The amazing staff and volunteers of The Good Companions have shown unrivalled passion and dedication in their work. They have undeniably made a lasting impact on our community and have changed the lives of seniors for the better. Programs such as the adult day program, fitness classes, the craft studio and the seniors' centre without walls are just a few examples of how the centre is keeping seniors active. It has been a great joy for me to attend many of those events, and I see so much fun every time I go to that community.”
“Similarly, there is the work we are doing in negotiating an agreement with the ASEAN countries, like Thailand and the Philippines, and with the Mercosur countries, which include Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay. In all those places, the work we are doing creates more opportunities for Canadian businesses and for Canadian farmers to be able to sell our produce. This will allow us to meet that particular objective that the member was referring to.”
“Mr. Speaker, it will require a lot of hard work for us to really meet the objective of doubling our non-U.S. exports in the next 10 years. The work that is necessary is to deepen relationships with our existing partners and to build new partnerships. The United Kingdom is a really good example. It is a nation that, as I mentioned earlier, enjoys a very long-lasting relationship with us. This agreement would allow us to make it even deeper and create more opportunities to open more markets. Similarly, we were talking about Indonesia yesterday. That is a new market that we are opening for our farmers, for our energy providers and for our manufacturers.”