Speech (House debate)

{
    "time": "2014-03-31 13:20:00",
    "attribution": {
        "en": "Mr. Kevin Lamoureux (Winnipeg North, Lib.)",
        "fr": "M. Kevin Lamoureux (Winnipeg-Nord, Lib.)"
    },
    "content": {
        "en": "<p data-HoCid=\"3630451\" data-originallang=\"en\">Mr. Speaker, it is interesting that the member says that the Conservative government has done more in terms of free trade agreements than any other government before it. One thing we need to recognize, of course, is that there is more to trade than just having free trade agreements. Let me provide an example.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"3630452\" data-originallang=\"en\">When Jean Chr\u00e9tien was prime minister, his government had the Team Canada approach to doing trade in Asia. As I was in the Manitoba legislature back then, I can recall that invitations went virtually throughout Canada, with some focus in Manitoba, because we wanted to be part of that trade mission. As a result of that particular trade mission, literally hundreds of millions of dollars of economic activity occurred, and that was an initiative taken by the prime minister. </p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"3630453\" data-originallang=\"en\">Why do I say that? I say it because when the Conservative government inherited the trade file, there was a multi-billion-dollar surplus, and the Conservative government turned that multi-billion-dollar surplus into an overall trade deficit. </p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"3630454\" data-originallang=\"en\">My question to the member is this: why is the <a data-HoCid=\"78738\" href=\"/politicians/stephen-harper/\" title=\"Stephen Harper\">Prime Minister</a> or the government not putting a high priority on looking at the bottom line of trade, on surplus versus deficit? It is great to see this particular trade agreement, but what is the government doing to ensure that Canada's trade balance is on the plus side? That in itself would generate the thousands of jobs that the middle class needs today.</p>",
        "fr": "<p data-HoCid=\"3630451\" data-originallang=\"en\">Monsieur le Pr\u00e9sident, il est int\u00e9ressant que le d\u00e9put\u00e9 d\u00e9clare que le gouvernement conservateur a conclu plus d'accords de libre-\u00e9change que n'importe quel gouvernement avant lui. Bien s\u00fbr, le commerce ne se limite pas aux accords de libre-\u00e9change. Permettez-moi de donner un exemple.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"3630452\" data-originallang=\"en\">Lorsque Jean Chr\u00e9tien \u00e9tait premier ministre, son gouvernement a adopt\u00e9 une approche du genre \u00c9quipe Canada \u00e0 l'\u00e9gard des \u00e9changes commerciaux avec l'Asie. Je si\u00e9geais \u00e0 l'Assembl\u00e9e l\u00e9gislative du Manitoba \u00e0 l'\u00e9poque et je me rappelle que le gouvernement avait envoy\u00e9 des invitations aux quatre coins du Canada, dont plusieurs au Manitoba, car nous voulions faire partie de cette mission commerciale. Cette initiative, lanc\u00e9e par le premier ministre, a g\u00e9n\u00e9r\u00e9 des centaines de millions de dollars en activit\u00e9 \u00e9conomique.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"3630453\" data-originallang=\"en\">Pourquoi est-ce que j'en parle? Parce que lorsque le gouvernement conservateur a repris les r\u00eanes du dossier du commerce, il y avait un exc\u00e9dent de plusieurs milliards de dollars. Le gouvernement conservateur a transform\u00e9 cet exc\u00e9dent en d\u00e9ficit commercial.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"3630454\" data-originallang=\"en\">Voici la question que j'aimerais poser au d\u00e9put\u00e9: Pourquoi le <a data-HoCid=\"78738\" href=\"/politicians/stephen-harper/\" title=\"Stephen Harper\">premier ministre</a> ou le gouvernement n'examine-t-il pas en priorit\u00e9 les r\u00e9sultats commerciaux, l'exc\u00e9dent par rapport au d\u00e9ficit? Cet accord commercial est une bonne initiative, mais que fait le gouvernement pour s'assurer que la balance commerciale du Canada est dans le noir? En soi, cela g\u00e9n\u00e9rerait les centaines de milliers d'emplois dont la classe moyenne a besoin aujourd'hui.</p>"
    },
    "url": "/debates/2014/3/31/kevin-lamoureux-5/",
    "politician_url": "/politicians/kevin-lamoureux/",
    "politician_membership_url": "/politicians/memberships/4032/",
    "procedural": false,
    "source_id": "8286170",
    "h1": {
        "en": "Government Orders",
        "fr": "Initiatives minist\u00e9rielles"
    },
    "h2": {
        "en": "Canada-Honduras Economic Growth and Prosperity Act",
        "fr": "Loi sur la croissance \u00e9conomique et la prosp\u00e9rit\u00e9 -- Canada-Honduras"
    },
    "document_url": "/debates/2014/3/31/",
    "related": {
        "document_speeches_url": "/speeches/?document=%2Fdebates%2F2014%2F3%2F31%2F"
    }
}