Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

When we discussed the visit of Canadian Prime Minister, Mr. Trudeau, to Ireland the Taoiseach did not mention a return visit. Can we assume it was something that was organised relatively late for such meetings? Instead of a multiday visit, the focus this time was on existing trading companies and links rather than on opening new ones. Why was that the case? It is surprising, given the potential opportunities under the new trading agreement. I support the CETA trade agreement. There was a debate in this House, instigated by the Fianna Fáil Party in Private Members' time. It opens up opportunities for additional jobs and greater exports from small to medium-sized companies, as well as multinationals which employ thousands. It also offers opportunities for farming, although some challenges as well, but across the board we are an exporting country and it never ceases to amaze me that there is such ongoing hostility in this Parliament to the idea of open free trade agreements. There may be issues within those but the instinct of previous speakers, in Sinn Féin and others, is to knock every single free trade agreement that is touted. These agreements are aligned to the economic best interests of the country because if we were to stay isolationist and inward looking we could not create jobs or prosperity. We must export over 90% of what we make to sustain ourselves as a nation. This visit would have been a very good opportunity to help many such companies avail of the potential of the CETA in a post-Brexit environment.

The Taoiseach visited the US-Canada border. Can he explain why he was looking at border options at all, having announced in Belfast that he had no intention of announcing new Border arrangements? Given the detailed work done by the all-party committee, might it not be a good idea to visit the Norway-European Union border to see an example of a border across which many people travel to work each and where they have adopted quite advanced approaches to limiting the negative impacts of such a border?

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