Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senator. I will see if my officials can get me some details on the Canada trade flows. The Senator's initial remark is correct. The protections that are in place for business are there for Irish businesses too. The bogeyman being created is this massive, evil Canadian corporation that is going to come to small, little Ireland and take advantage of us. That is a mischaracterisation. The protections that exist do so for all businesses. They exist for Irish firms operating in Canada and particularly for small firms that do not have the resources and big legal departments that the big companies have. They gain these protections as well. It is a two-way street, as trade always is. Irish firms will benefit and get the protections they need if they are mistreated or discriminated against.

Regarding the Paris climate accords, any analysis of these trade agreements would indicate that the impact on the environment is not large in either direction. What we need to do in terms of meeting our commitments under the Paris Agreement is what we do ourselves. Of course, all trade involves a degree of transport and there are emissions from that. What we need to do, however, we need to do ourselves, whether it is around decarbonising our energy systems or all the things we need to do. CETA or any other trade agreement will not have a major impact in either direction.