Malcolm Byrne (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for his reply and I strongly agree with him. When we have trade deals, there have to be mechanisms for arbitration and dispute resolution. What is proposed in CETA is an updating of those mechanisms, which will make dispute resolution more transparent and more efficient. It is not going to force member state governments to change any laws.

This is a small island nation. We rely heavily, as the Minister of State said, on trade. If Brexit has taught us anything, it is about the importance of being part of the EU, the world's largest trading bloc, and being able to trade. This will be one of the big political differences between those of us who in the political spectrum who are pro-trade, pro-business and anti-protectionism, and those who take a very narrow view of the world.

All trade deals should be subject to scrutiny. The China deal needs to be subject to greater scrutiny because of labour standards. I encourage all of those companies that continue to trade with Canada to recognise the work of Enterprise Ireland and support it as strongly as they can.