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Decentralized Democracy

House Hansard - 156

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
February 8, 2023 02:00PM
Context: House Hansard - 156 - Feb/8/23
Mr. Mark Gerretsen (Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons (Senate), Lib.)
  • Feb/8/23 6:40:51 p.m.
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  • Re: Bill C-34 
Madam Speaker, the member started off by talking about how, in the last few years, Canada has performed horribly in terms of investment, and how nobody wants to invest in Canada. We do not have to dig far into the Internet to find a United Nations Conference on Trade and Development from 2021 that specifically says that Canada, in the last five years, has ranked among the top two in the G20 for doing business; is the third-easiest in the G7 to start a business; is the fourth among the G20 for being the least complex to start a business; and had the second-largest foreign and direct investment-to-GDP ratio in the G20 between 2016 and 2020. Where is the member getting his information that would suggest Canada is not a place that is open for business?
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Context: House Hansard - 156 - Feb/8/23
Hon. Ed Fast
  • Feb/8/23 6:41:48 p.m.
  • Watch
  • Re: Bill C-34 
Madam Speaker, the Liberals have yet to learn that they should never ask a former international trade minister a question they do not know the answer to. Here is the answer. I get my information from the International Monetary Fund. Members will notice that the member did not actually address investment. He talked about GDP, economic performance and regulation, but he did not talk about Canada being a destination for investment. The IMF said, “According to the latest results...the world’s top ten recipients of foreign direct investment...[are] the United States, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, China, the United Kingdom, Hong Kong SAR, Singapore, Switzerland, Ireland, and Germany.” Canada is not even in the top 10. Shame on us, that we would be so far down the list. Let me suggest that the member go back to the drawing board, get his statistics right, and then come back to the House and start debating. Some hon. members: Oh, oh!
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