Name: Prime Minister Trudeau: Killing NAFTA 'Will Turn Back the Clock'
Uploaded: 2017-12-07
Duration: 21 min 5 s
Description: Canada is open for business, Justin Trudeau says.

This time last year the global firm was at [ INAUDIBLE ] with session with pope Francis. We've had extraordinary hospitality this week and last night, a mid blowing evening at the [ INAUDIBLE ] So can you top these. [ LAUGH ] What can you promise this [ INAUDIBLE ] what they will see in here and. [ LAUGH ] Yeah, I know. The Vatican, the extraordinary welcome we've had here. We are Canadian. We're happy to engage in a constructive, thoughtful way about the challenges the world is facing and offer our perspective and our solutions. I think one of the things that these forums and I've been to a lot of various Gatherings of extremely interesting intelligent engage people over the past couple of years I have been a prime minister. And one of the things that we see as world struggling with the same kinds of questions of the disruptions in the work places, challenges around trade that benefits our citizens Challenges around, investments that benefit everyone. There are tensions around the world that having substantive conversations about from multiple different perspectives is actually not just important but essential One of the cores of candidates that we believe that diversity is, must always been a source of strength. And it's not just diversity of backgrounds, it's diversity of points of view, of opinions of solutions and coming together and gathering the world that important global forum like the fortune forum is an opportunity To highlight the positive aspects of the past path forward and the solutions that Canada is busy putting forward. So I am eager to talk about some of the challenges you raised in your remarks yesterday. Lets start out with trade which was a big focus and moving geographically NAFTA What is the state of the talks and where do you see that going? [ BLANK_AUDIO ] NAFTA has been an extraordinarily successful trade deal over the past 25 years. It has created millions of good jobs, for all three of the countries involved. Canada, the US and Mexico. 9 million, at least, jobs directly depend on NAFTA in the United States. For trade with Canada we know that after 25 years any trade deal is going to need to be updated and renewed and new aspects brought into it and we are excited about that the negotiations are any negotiations are going to be challenging there are moments of advance and moments of Greater challenges. But I remain fundamentally convinced that the positive impact that NAFTA has had, that trade has had, on the United States. When I talk to governors, when I talk to members of Congress, when I talk to business leaders. Who recognize the kind of disruption a step away from after would be. It leaves me confident that we're gonna continue the work and ways that benefit all of our citizens. The President for all the positioning that he takes, he got elected on a committment to help. Middle class Americans do better when they felt that quite frankly, maybe progress had passed them by. One of the powerful levers to do that is trade that works for them, is progressive trade deals. And that's exactly what we're trying to achieve with NAFTA. But your foreign affairs minister decsribed the US attitude as a winner takes all mindset. Do you feel that's still the case? I think the current administration has perhaps different negotiating approaches than past administrations have had. [ LAUGH ] But- You have a great future in diplomacy. I think the issue fundamentally comes down to, are we going to be helping Or hurting our citizens, and governments want to help their citizens. And I think canceling NAFTA, I think turning back the clock on really important measures that have benefitted the United States, and Canada, and Mexico would harm our citizens. And I have to ultimately believe that that's not gonna happen. If the president were to follow through, and withdraw, would you envision entering into bilateral talks? We will always look at different opportunities. We're ready for anything, when things come forward. I mean, the new, the administration has shown, Willingness to disrupt patterns of past behaviour and look for new models, so we're willing to entertain next steps forward but we are still very confident in the kinds of supports and response that we've gotten from. Friends, partners, colleagues in the United States who recognize that trade is the powerful driver of growth and benefit to citizens. So then moving east to TPP, there were headlines coming out of OPEC of Canada sabotaging TPP to do feel about that was unfair characterization and what's the status of CPTPP. We and let's take this step back first of on, we know the trade over the past 30 years atleast has lead to termendous growth in the global economy. But there was a promise when we created and when we move forward with growth, pro growth strategies and policies, the promise was we will create growth and everyone will benefit from it. And what we've actually seen over the past decades in many places Is that people are wondering when the benefits are gonna reach them? The middle class has stalled in a lot of our western countries, and people are starting to withdraw their support for pro growth policies like trade and that's where we got spikes in nationalism or protectionism. And I think it's really important for us To start, not just making a case for trade, but demonstrating that trade can benefit ordinary citizens, workers, small businesses. And that's where, when we talk about more modern trade deals, like the one we signed with the European Union, we just recently closed C- I- T- A, which is our, Are free trade deal with between Canada and the European Union. We brought in significant progressive elements whether it's on protection of women whether it's on women entrepreneurs and women in business, whether it's environmental protections, whether it's ensuring a certain element of labor standards These are the kinds of things that ensure that as we get growth, the benefits of that growth are broadly phrased. If we move forward with simply, you know, straight, and classic trade deals that focus all on Tariffs and barriers, and don't think about the impact it's gonna have on citizens, and communities, and people, then we are going to find ourselves in a world where protectionism and inward thinking is the only option. So when we talk about making trade deals that work for everyone, it's not just A nice spin to put on modern trade deals. It's saying no, we need to make sure we're benefitting our citizens. So when we engage in trade, whether it's trade talks with NAFTA, whether it was with the European Union, whether it's looking at the Canada Asian free trade that we're working on Whether it's looking at what the TPP11 or the CPTPP could look like, we're very positive about it. We're even moving towards a comprehensive trade agreement with China. These are things that we're very enthusiastic about. But we're going to remain focused on not just the benefit for the multinationals and the countries' bottom line, The benefit for ordinary citizens. And I think that's something that is an increased imperative everywhere around the world including here in China where what has been done over the past decade has lifted hundreds of millions of people out of poverty and into the global middle class. But as you approach, you would be the first G7 country to do a bilateral trade deal with China. Are you concerned about the push back domestically about whether a progressive trade deal with China's possible giving your position on human rights, on health, on environmental protection Every trade deal in the world is, by definition, between two different places. With different approaches, different past, different stories, different, different kinds of governments, different politics. And there's always going to be a figuring out how to interface two different systems in a way that is mutually beneficial. And what Canadians expect is as we engage with trade with anyone in the world but particularly a country as significant and as much of a economic powerhouse as China has become and is going to get even more so in the coming decades, they need to be reassured that The values and the interests and the jobs that Canadians hold dear are going to be compatible and fit in within that trade deal. And that's where, when we look at the directions that China is moving in, for example, on environment. I mean, there is a recognition that making progress on the environment Is very good for citizens, very good or the country even if it's more of a progressive thing in certain labels. China has been a world leader on that. So there are ways of making sure. In the negotiation is that we're moving forward on a broad range of things that matter, not just to Canadians, but to every citizen around the world. You spoke yesterday about Canada's leading position on in advanced technologies, in artifical intelligence, in robotics. And it raises the question about whether You see another kind of digital divide than the one we usually talk about, not whether large numbers of people have accessed it high speed Internet but one between the public and the private sector of whether governments are actually equipped right now to understand the implications of new technologies And for that matter, to regulate increasingly powerful technology companies, that are global, whose impact on our lives is immense. And I wonder how you think about that, as a government leader, and what that road looks like to you. Well, I think, first of all, I mean, the shift we're undergoing in Canada, I mean, traditionally, when Investors and companies, and even countries around the world, think of Canada. We think of what has been our strength in the past, which is natural resources. So we still have lots of natural resources and great commodities. But we've recognized that the way the world is going, our greatest Our greatest Advantage is in our people, is innovative forward- thinking, value- driven, diverse people from every corner of the world who are willing to learn, to willing to face the. Challenges of the shifting global economy, and the disruption in the workplaces, with optimism and confidence. And that's one of the reasons why we're so excited about the investments in AI, the investments in robotics, the investments in quantum computing, we're doing. We know there's disruption coming, with the fourth industrial revolution. What Canada has realized, I think earlier than most, is that if we want to succeed in the long term, we have to be part of it. We have to start leading in that innovation, leading in that disruption to get through the transition and beyond it, and that means... Encouraging and empowering our citizens with better education with abilities to code to be powerful users of technology so that in the shifting job markets, they cannot just have a level of confidence about their own future but they can actually shape their own future and the technologies we use around the world. Governments obviously have a significant role in both setting the stage for that, we've made massive investments in research and innovation and science, but we've also made massive investments in education and training and R and D. So that we can actually make sure that we're not leaving people behind. And that's part of the divide we're trying to look beyond. The other thing and it comes up this idea of government regulation. When we asked ourselves as we see the pace of transformation on AI for example And the disruptive impact that's gonna have so many different areas of our, not just our work life but our home life as well. Having a government and having a place that is seriously thinking about the impacts on communities, the impacts on different cultures, the impacts on. On [ UNKNOWN ] And privacy rights and human rights, and all those things, is something we fought in, in Canada to everything we do. So as we look at how were creating and participating in the creation of the next wave of destructive technologies it's sort of a point of apply that Canada will be Part private and public sector part of that discussion that will shape so much important technology for the future. You've spoken a lot about the anxiety that workers feel there's all sort of research about the sense of people feeling overwhelmed despite the pace of change that they're confronting, how much are you seeing. The rise of either nationalist movements or isolationist, or populist movements in Canada. How is that playing out in the face of these forces? I mean, we have a little bit of that, but I mean, for example one of the things that we have That is extraordinarily valuable is a population that is positively inclined towards immigrants and refugees, and that comes from, and that's not sort of the government driving that, that's Canadians in their communities. Right across the country people are welcoming Syrian refugees knowing that Being able to drawn in great talent from around the world is going to create better opportunities and jobs for everyone in Canada. And as a government, being able to promote that and protect that with a strong and rigorous immigration system. Bringing in things like our global skill strategy, that means if you're a company wanting to invest in Canada, You can bring in some of your top talent in two weeks, get a work permit in two weeks because we know that that means you're gonna be hiring up some of our great local engineers, the great graduates we have from our top universities, and creating good jobs for them, instead of what we have Up until now which is recognizing that the top universities in Silicon Valley where they get most of the graduates from are for example University of Waterloo. So we have a lot of great Canadian talent going elsewhere. Now with the stability with the approach, with the basket of solutions that we're creating in Canada that is backing a little bit of the Tides that are of concern to people who play in the globalization sandbox. There is a real interest in what Canada has to offer and I think that's one of the reasons I'm so happy to be here and chatting with all of you. Is to say that Canada is often overlooked, but I'll tell you, I was listening yesterday, some of the companies that weren't overlooking Canada, the big, Amazons and Facebooks and Apples and Googles are all investing in Canada because there is a quality of work, of innovation, of solution, of quality of life for workers and citizens. That is a very exciting place to be and an important driver of success in the global economy. I wanna pick up on something that you said at Fortune's Most Powerful Women Conference. You said that one of the surprises in creating Canada's first ever cabinet that had complete gender parity. It has led to a better level of decision making than we could ever imagined. So my question is how do you know it's better? [ LAUGH ] And how do you explain this? I think we've all been around a discussion table where You have a dozen people around the table and one person is different. Maybe there's one woman around the table or one person who has a level of diversity that brings a different experience and that one person with diversity has to speak for their entire group of diversity. The one woman on the panel is expected to talk for All women, and it's important to have at least one woman on the panel, but it's much better to have 50 % women on the panel, because then the women can actually share the breadth and the range of their experiences that are different from woman to woman ., the way experiences are different from individual to individual. And not locking people into a representative narrative, but actually having people share the full range of their experiences and their stories is essential if you want to make sound decisions that actually have the depth and the breadth to have the kinds of right impacts. And when we have a discussion around We had the discussion around immigration around the table and levels and how we are bringing people in and the impact, the integration programmes we have and the support. Having people around the table who would run homeless shelters, who had run, Nationally successful massive companies, who had been police officers, who had been family physicians, who had been immigrants themselves and refugees themselves adds to a better level of conversation and a better level of decision making Than you would if everyone had the exact same path, because we are serving a population and a world that is itself hugely diverse. And unless we're getting voices that reflect that diversity, we're not gonna be able to match the needs and the concerns of the community. But also we're limiting our capacity to be truly creative about the kind of solutions we bring forward. So when we say diversity is strength, it's not just that it looks nice to have diversity. It's that bringing in those different voices fundamentally alters the conversation, and the first step of that is making sure that you're including women in your panels, in your boards, in your decision making bodies. Not just because it's the right thing to do, but fundamentally because it's the smart thing to do And it has a significant and positive impact on the decisions. There's been lots of studies that have shown that when you get over 40 % women on a corporate board, The profit margins go up, the resilience of the company goes out, the decision making is better, you get better outcome. So when you get more perspectives in your decision making group. Prime Minister [ UNKNOWN ] Thank you very much and we will see you next year. Look forward to it very much. You're all not just invited by expected. [ APPLAUSE ] [ MUSIC ] [ BLANK_AUDIO ]

Canada is open for business, Justin Trudeau says.

Prime Minister Trudeau: Killing NAFTA "Will Turn Back the Clock"