Mr. Crosbie:

The Hon. Member for Winnipeg soft centre has struck again.

What did Roseworks say? It pioneered technology to preserve fresh flowers indefinitely. I am going to get some of those for occasions in the future when hon. gentlemen will need them as they go to their rewards. The company will increase its staff from 15 to 50 over the next two years. It will export 80 per cent of its product to the U.S. This is one small business in Kingston already saved for Canada. Here is the representative from Kingston fighting the Free Trade Agreement that is going to give his constituents 35 more jobs. He was up

on his feet yesterday jawing away about closure as if he had 100 years of parliamentary experience. If he had any sense he would have certainly closed what he was using yesterday to argue against closure. He would be trying to protect these 35 more jobs in Kingston, an area of Canada that badly needs more jobs. Where is Flora when she is needed, Mr. Speaker? That is the question we have to ask.

Flora MacDonald was my desk-mate. She will be sorely missed in the House. However, I think that the people of Kingston have saved her for something even greater, if there could be anything greater than being a Member of the House. I hope that we will hear a lot more from Flora MacDonald in the future. She is a woman of tremendous capabilities and experience. I hope that the Government will be able to find something for her that will suit her talents and her capabilities so that she can go on serving the people of Canada as she has done for the last 20 years.

Hear, hear!

Mr. Crosbie:

The President of Roseworks-I am glad to see the Hon. Member for Kingston and the Islands is present. He is going to get the Roseworks, if he doesn't look out.

The President, Mr. Peter Blainey, said the following on December 14: "Without free trade we . . . would definitely have to locate in the United States and those 50 jobs, quite frankly, would not be here [in Kingston]".

Hon. Members still a chance to vote for this Bill on third reading. I suggest to the hon. gentleman that he reconsider his obdurate and stubborn attitude and be prepared to be flexible.

Was that after the election?

Mr. Crosbie:

December 14 was after the election, after the loss.

Is it still Canadian-owned?

Mr. Crosbie:

firm is creating in Kingston. Frankly, down in Newfoundland we do not give a damn if it is owned by the Martians as long as it creates jobs for Newfoundlanders and Canadians. We do not care if it is owned by the Afghanistanis. We don't care if it is owned by the Martines, or the Martons, or the Crosbies-in fact, we would prefer it to be owned by the Crosbies. It does not matter to us, we are impartial. If I had any sense I would be owning something and not up here working and slaving until 2.30 in the morning. In fact, if I get any offers that would set me up I would be gone like a flash.

Mr. Axworthy (Winnipeg South Centre):

How about a nickel, John?

Mr. Tobin:

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. It is my belief that the privileges of all Members have been abused when the Minister for International Trade takes advantage of the television cameras and the 10 people who are watching today to make an appeal to do some useful work, because we all know that the work he has been doing for the last number of years has been useless. This is a terrible abuse of the parliamentary channel. I would hope that he would tell us how the free trade deal will help-

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Paproski):

The Hon. Minister for International Trade.

Mr. Crosbie:

That Hon. Member's future has always been well behind him. He is enjoying his last session in the House. Why did he get re-elected?

Mr. Tobin:

With a bigger majority than Crosbie.

Mr. Crosbie:

Because I slaved for his district. I improved Deer Lake Airport. I was a fool. There was a new terminal building at Deer Lake Airport, a $17 million harbour improvement at Corner Brook, tens of millions for the Kruger mill in Corner Brook. There were improvements at the airport in Stephenville, and on and on it went. What happened? Well, we see the results of how things went wrong. We are only interested in doing good for the people of Canada, no matter who they have representing them.

Let us look at a larger firm. I want to look at Nova Scotia based National Sea Products.

Miss Clancy:

Yes, let's look at that.

Mr. Crosbie:

Oh, the Liberals hate success. They hate success. Our Premier is well sprung.

Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement

Mr. Axworthy (Winnipeg South Centre):

Would you articulate on that a little, please?

Mr. Crosbie:

I am not going any further, Mr. Speaker.

Earlier this month Mr. Gordon Cummings estimated that 400 new jobs will be created at National Sea Products because of the Free Trade Agreement. He stated: "The seafood industry now will do more secondary processing in Canada. Instead of taking a fillet of fish, putting it in a 16 1/2 pound frozen block, sending it to the United States and processing it there, we'll be able to do that here in Atlantic Canada".

We have had one example of a small business, and now this is an example of a traditional resource industry expanding in Canada because of free trade. It has a $2 million production line on the floor in Lunenburg which, as a result of our success in the election, will now go into operation creating another 35 or 40 additional jobs in National Sea Products in the next few months because of the fact that the people of Canada supported us in the election.

Let us look at one larger enterprise, Du Pont, a giant chemical company. Next, I am going to hear: "Who owns Du Pont?" Is it American-owned or controlled, or Canadian-owned or controlled, or is it Italian-does Luigi own it? Frankly, I do not care who owns it. I would prefer it to be Canadian-owned, but if it goes on doing what it is doing now, and doing what it promised it will do, it has a very warm spot in my heart.

What is this giant chemical company planning to do? It has stated that capital spending in Canada for 1989 will be $150 million, an increase of 50 per cent over this year. Why is it doing this? Its President, Ted Newall, on December 2 stated: "This is designed to help us capture the opportunities provided by free trade with the United States . . . The end to uncertainty about free trade gives us the opportunity to pursue our corporate strategy more vigorously. Export sales will more than double from the 1987 level, approaching $500 million by 1991. Our strategy is to invest in businesses that can serve the full North American market and that can now, or soon, become competitive with the best in the world".

This is one of the so-called branch plant companies that members of the New Democratic Party kick and thrash around about. They don't mind the old branch plants in Windsor; no, Sir. They don't mind the branch plants in Oshawa. I have not heard the Leader of the New Democratic Party rise and kick the bejabbers out of General Motors that has put billions and billions of

December 22, 1988

Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement

dollars of investment in Oshawa where he has been returned. It is an oasis of prosperity. We never hear them talk about the branch plant mentality when it comes to General Motors. This so-called branch plant company is going to modernize and expand. Why is it going to do that? Because Canada is a good place to invest, particularly because of the increased opportunities under free trade.

Let us look back at what Mr. Newall said:

The end to uncertainty about free trade gives us the opportunity-

Now we have the opposition Parties in the House wanting the uncertainty to continue. They managed to create an atmosphere of uncertainty for most of 1988. The agreement was entered into in October, 1987. They fought this all through 1988. They then said the people had to decide. The Liberals called upon the Senate, this unelected anachronism. The elected remnants of the Liberal Party in the Senate were called upon to block this deal. They created great uncertainty because of the actions of the Senate, the elected second Chamber. That has to be corrected, in my opinion, and corrected soon. We have to apply the guillotine to the Senate. That is my view on the Senate, Mr. Speaker.

You send your has-beens there.

Mr. Crosbie:

There is only one E Senate that I want to see, emasculated. That is the result that will have to come for the Senate if the Senate is to survive. Never mind the triple E, we should have the single E, emasculation. Now I am getting diverted from whatever I was saying.

The opposition Parties created uncertainty. Then they said there had to be an election. We had the election. The damage done to Canadian business planning and to Canadians who wanted to take advantage of the new free trade Bill was incalculable.

The majority said no.