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Transcript

Canada’s Trade Advantage

Minister Stockwell Day outlines Canada's trade priorities

When the Prime Minister first asked me to take on this responsibility of Minister for International Trade, I immediately started thinking about the thousands of Canadians here at home and around the world who are competing for jobs and competing for investment. And I’m talking about small individual firms and sometimes one-person operations to some of the huge joint venture operations where Canadians are front and foremost all around the world.

It goes without saying that today one of the big questions on the minds of people everywhere is the financial situation. I hear it from my own constituents. They’re concerned about their future, they’re concerned about their jobs, they’re concerned about their savings. We know that Canada is not immune from the pressures of this present financial situation but we also know that we’ve got a very strong position.

We have a strong banking system that’s been recognized by observers from around the world as being one of the strongest in the world. We also have competitive advantages. Our debt is under control. We have very competitive taxes and, as Canadians, we have a trading advantage.

We're a proud trading nation. We've developed an aggressive strategy to open doors for our businesses and investors.

At the World Trade Organization, we're continuing to push for a successful outcome to the Doha Round - one that will bring down trade barriers for Canadian exporters.

We recently concluded free-trade agreements with Peru, Colombia, Jordan and the European Free Trade Association.

We're moving full-steam ahead with an ambitious free trade agenda that includes many countries, such as Panama, Singapore, South Korea and the Caribbean family of nations.

We have investment agreements. We have trade agreements. We have liberalized air services. We’ve made great progress in key markets like the European market, Brazil, India, China. And we have science and technology agreements, innovative approaches to dealing with business and advancing the interests of Canadians at home and abroad.

It’s all part of our plan: keep those doors open, let Canadian entrepreneurs and Canadian businesses do what they do best and that strategy will advance their opportunity globally.

By using all of these strategies, Canadian businesses, Canadian workers, entrepreneurs, we will come through this time of financial trial in good shape with our feet firmly on the ground.

By keeping the doors to global business open, that means the benefits of that return right here to Canada, right to our communities where the opportunities will be there not just now but for many years to come.