Hon. Jerahmiel S. Grafstein:

Honourable senators, this is an important question. I raised this issue with the Leader of the Government in the Senate earlier this year. I raised it not only here but I raised it with the ambassador in Washington at the Canada-U.S. Inter-Parliamentary Group. I have spoken to Minister Clement and Ontario's Minister Bryant about this question, as well as the unions.

The concern now is that Canada is facing, in my view, a tsunami of protectionist measures in the United States, including the administration. I do not criticize the government on this, because I think the government received some assurances when President Obama came here for his very short visit that he would not incite, if you will, protectionist measures.

Now we have perhaps something different. Rather than listening to words, let us look at the legislation. On February 17, President Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, and in that there is a provision that requires that all iron, steel and manufactured goods used in the project — which is an infrastructure project of some $90 billion — be produced in the United States. There is a provision in the recovery act for certain waivers.

Then, more dangerously, is the Water Quality Investment Act, which has now passed the House of Representatives and provides $13.4 billion over the next five years for a topic close to our hearts. The topic is clean water and drinking water improvements in the United States. Section 608 of that bill repeats the buy-American provisions of the recovery act.

It strikes me that this is really an intensification of protectionist measures in the United States that will directly affect jobs in Canada and injures the spirit of NAFTA. I will not go on to tell you, but industry after industry is now raising questions with the Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters Association for the government and the private sector to intensify their lobbying efforts in the United States with Congress, with their sister organizations, and with the administration.

We on this side are limited in our scope. We can deal with Congress, which we intend to do. Next week we will be meeting with them in Quebec, and this will be a measure on our agenda. The Canada-U.S Inter-Parliamentary Group will take every step necessary to intensify our efforts.

Has the government intensified its efforts to lobby both the administration and Congress and how, if in any way, can we help in that measure?


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