Dear Editor,
I write to you today in response to a letter written by Mr. David McLaren on the Owen Sound Hub website on July 20th, 2015 and in the Owen Sound Sun Times on July 24th, 2015. In his letter Mr. McLaren makes many falsified assertions about the intentions of the current Government in relation to the negotiations surrounding the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). This letter serves to correct this misinformation and unsubstantiated fearmongering by presenting the facts about free trade and Canada's system of supply management.
To begin, Mr. McLaren makes the assertion at the beginning of his article that trade agreements are somehow not in line with Canada's national interest. With one in every 5 jobs and 60% of Canada's national wealth directly linked to Canadian exports, I would say that these agreements are 100% in line with our national interest. We live in an interconnected global economy, while the NDP would see Canada shut off from the rest of the world, this Government has got to work and has signed agreements with 39 different countries since 2006.The 12 TPP countries represent a market of 800 million consumers and a combined annual GDP of $28.5 trillion. The TPP also includes two of the world's three largest economies (the United States and Japan). Canadian workers and businesses in every region of the country – in fish and seafood, forestry and wood products, industrial goods, agricultural and agri-food, and services, to name a few – will benefit from increased access to these high-value markets. Mr. McLaren also mentions that the Government has not provided an answer in the House of Commons to the NDP concerns about supply management. I would like to direct Mr. McLaren to the Hansard of June 10th, 2015 where the Honourable Ed Fast, Minister of International Trade, stated that: "Our government will continue to promote Canadian trade interests across all sectors of our economy, including supply management. That has never prevented us from successfully concluding trade agreements with countries like the United States, with the European Union, with South Korea." The Minister goes on to state that: "That is the standard we have set and we will only sign a trade agreement if it significantly benefits Canadian workers and families." I should be made very clear that nothing in Canada's free trade agreements has or will ever prevent any Canadian from continuing to purchase high quality products produced by Canadian farmers, including chicken, egg, and dairy products. Rather than relying on what has been said
repeatedly by the Government, Mr. McLaren has chosen to listen to media speculation. As was previously stated this Government has signed trade agreements with 39 different countries. In every single one of these agreements the standard was that the agreement must be in the best interest of Canadians and that supply management will be protected. I would encourage Mr. McLaren to start relying on Government action rather than media speculation before misleading residents of Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound about Government policies simply because his party never has and never will support them -- policies that have significantly benefitted allCanadians.
Sincerely,
Larry Miller, MP
