Building our economy by diversifying our trade
by Yasir Naqvi MP Ottawa Centre
Canada’s political landscape has changed dramatically over the past year and a half. We can no longer rely on past assumptions such as depending on our powerful neighbour or on a north-south economy built on familiar supply chains. Instead of looking back, we need to focus on what we can control by building trade relationships with new partners around the world and attracting investments that will make our economy stronger and more resilient.
As your Member of Parliament my work is focussed on creating economic opportunities that help our community to thrive and prosper. That is why I am grateful for the chance to serve as the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Trade. With my background as a trade lawyer, I am using my experience to make a meaningful difference for Canadians.
I want to offer a clearer sense of my role as Parliamentary Secretary and share some of the work I have been focusing on. Serving in this position has underscored how essential it is for Canada’s long‑term economic prosperity to diversify our trade beyond the United States and strengthen partnerships around the world. This is why I am working every day to build and reinforce strong international economic relationships that support Canadian businesses and the good jobs they create — including right here in Ottawa Centre.
Part of this role includes leading our government’s team on the International Trade Committee, where I am hearing firsthand from businesses and other stakeholders across the country about the urgent need to expand Canada’s international trade. It is also good to see that, despite the Conservative obstruction on important legislation, the Trade Committee has been working across party lines to take a real Team Canada approach to support Canadian trade and economic prosperity.
Recently, I have been working on two important pieces of legislation, which will implement important trade agreements with the United Kingdom and with Indonesia, respectively. These agreements will increase market access and commercial opportunities for Canadian businesses, from the agriculture and resource sectors, to technology, energy, and aerospace. The hard work of our team on the Trade Committee has resulted in both bills being passed quickly, and I hope to see deals facilitating the flow of trade as soon as possible.
I have also been traveling abroad to promote Canadian trade, including trips to Poland and Malaysia, and more recently to the United Kingdom. On these trips, I work closely with Canadian embassies and businesses to champion Canadian goods, services, and expertise around the world. I have found particular interest for Canada’s nuclear energy technology, which leads the world in safety, and will be an essential tool in reducing global emissions and combatting energy insecurity.
Each week, I also meet with diplomats from countries around the world who are based here in Ottawa, to promote trade and economic partnerships with Canada and Canadian businesses. By building these relationships here at home, we are reinforcing Canada’s reputation as a stable and reliable trading partner and showing the world that we are a country worth investing in.
Prime Minister Mark Carney has set the goal to double our non-US exports within a decade. Our government’s tireless work to diversify trade is about expanded economic opportunities for Canadians and is tied directly to the work that we are doing to bring down costs and create good paying jobs here in Canada. You can be confident that our government’s work on this, and every issue, is guided by one clear purpose: delivering real economic benefits to more communities at home.
Yasir Naqvi, MP, Ottawa Centre, Député, Ottawa-Centre