Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Given that it is the Minister's first time answering questions in her new capacity, I would expect her to paint a prettier picture than the one we anticipate. There is a lot to be said for trade deals around the world. I am totally in favour of doing business with different countries but very often these trade deals have led to various types of problems. Much of the research around CETA comes straight from fairyland. The modelling used, for example, assumes constant full employment so no one can be unemployed due to imports. It assumes balanced trade so a country's total output cannot be undermined by a trade deficit. It assumes no international capital flows. It is a false notion that companies will not be able to shift investment abroad.

I know that this is a new portfolio for the Minister and that she is being fed a certain line by the civil servants. However, the picture is not as rosy as we have been led to believe and as the Minister is starting out in this area, I ask her to look under the covers to see exactly what CETA will mean for the people of Ireland.

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