The Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, CETA, was signed by the EU and Canada on 30 October. CETA will be referred to national parliaments and the European Parliament for ratification. This week, the European Commission has published its report on the cumulative effects of trade agreements. The fact is that these agreements are not good for agriculture across Europe or for agriculture in Ireland. CETA is part of a new generation of free trade agreements, along with TTIP and others, which move far beyond the lowering of tariffs and the free movement of goods. In fact, they look to attack the sovereignty of national parliaments by interfering in national regulations of trade. CETA was negotiated entirely in secret. The proposed text was not made public until the draft had been finalised in September 2014.

Many non-governmental organisations, civil society and consumer groups have expressed grave concerns about the very weak protections in CETA for the environment, workers' rights, public health, food safety, public procurement and the impact of the investment court system litigation on these very standards and on the democratic process. The Irish beef farming sector is particularly vulnerable to the effects of CETA, which will include the influx of 50,000 tonnes of cheap Canadian beef and 75,000 tonnes of pork entering the EU market. The impact of this influx on Irish beef producers will be exacerbated as a result of the Brexit vote, due to the fact that Britain has been the largest importer of Canadian agri-produce into the EU. There has been no revision of the quotas in response to the Brexit vote.

The inclusion of the investor-state dispute settlement mechanism in these agreements, whereby foreign corporations will be able to sue national governments for compensation for loss of expected future profits in response to governments' actions for the common good, has provoked widespread public opposition to the ratification of these agreements on both sides of the Atlantic. In the Seanad recently, there was a motion on CETA and it was roundly rejected. Sinn Féin has a motion on CETA on today's Order Paper. In these circumstances, how can the Minister justify his Government's continued support for CETA and will he instruct his people in the European Parliament to reject this agreement? When this agreement comes before this Dáil, will the Government reject it?

The Deputy used the phrase that such agreements "look to attack the sovereignty of national parliaments", but of course it has to be voted on by this Parliament.

Are we going to get the opportunity to discuss it?

The procedure that is in place for the ratification of this agreement will be voted on in-----

When are we going to get the opportunity to discuss it?

-----this Dáil. Far from this being an attack on the role of sovereign parliaments, there is a process in place that recognises the ability of Dáil Éireann to cast a vote on that agreement. It is at that point that Deputy Martin Kenny and Sinn Féin will be able to articulate their views and concerns on CETA.

I take a very different view from that outlined by Deputy Martin Kenny. I believe that all parts of the Irish economy, whether it is the agricultural sector the Deputy referred to, financial services or aviation, have shown their ability to grow, create employment, be prosperous and deliver benefits for our country in a world of greater trade and in a world in which the Single Market has been a hugely important market into which Ireland has exported services and goods. I believe an environment in which the Single Market is maintained and arrangements and agreements such as CETA are put in place offers opportunities for Irish companies to create jobs. Companies that are located here will have the ability to sell more and thereby to create more jobs in Ireland.

The process for ratification in the European Parliament, and ratification in national parliaments all over the European Union, is precisely put in place to allow the kind of issues that Deputy Martin Kenny is entitled to raise on behalf of those he represents to be aired and to allow national parliaments to make their views known. However, I wish to conclude by arguing that over the recent arc of Irish economic history we have seen that Irish farmers and companies, big and small, have shown their ability to create more jobs and sell more goods in an environment in which trade has been liberalised. This agreement is also putting in place the right protections in respect of the environment, workers rights and issues that matter. That is also the case with the Single Market. How is it consistent for Deputy Martin Kenny to say that farmers and companies in the North should not have the ability to trade under a structured agreement such as CETA when his party is campaigning in respect of the need for those companies and farmers to retain access to the Single Market of the European Union?

On the issue of whether the Parliament has the final say, the reason it is an attack on democracy and the Parliament is because if the agreement goes through, it will mean that multinational corporations will be able to sue national governments that put in place something to protect their environmental or business interests. For example, a company called Vattenfall is currently suing the German Government because it decided to change its policy on nuclear power. If we take a similar position in this Parliament, we could be sued. These agreements are designed to allow big corporations to make massive profits and to squeeze out small producers and providers of services. They are not designed for economies such as Ireland's or for Irish farmers. The Minister referred to Irish farmers and farmers in the North. They will not gain from CETA, it is the big corporations that will gain. Agreements of this nature are in place as a result of huge corporations making massive profits. The onus is on the Irish representatives at EU level to heed the severe warnings relating to CETA and other deals and to ensure that such agreements are put to bed. Will common sense prevail and will the Government lobby for the rejection of CETA in the European Parliament and will it ensure that the deal is rejected in this Parliament? The Minister has a choice. Will he support Irish farmers and small industry or this type of agreement?

What the Deputy said reminds me of what Sinn Féin used to say about the European Union, namely, that it was designed only for big companies and corporations and was not for the benefit of countries such as ours. When they saw the risk posed by Brexit to Irish interests on all parts of the island, Sinn Féin members changed their minds and their tune completely.

That is a simplistic argument.

Deputy Martin Kenny asserted that this is an attack on democracy. How can he make that claim when this is the very Chamber that will be able to cast a vote on the issue?

Will the Minister answer the question?

Deputy Martin Kenny said this is an environment which is designed to allow only big corporations to prosper. Is that how little confidence he has in the ability of Irish companies, big and small, to be able to trade-----

Does the Minister support CETA or not?

The Minister should be allowed to speak without interruption.

-----and create employment in that environment just as they have been able to do in the Single Market and the European Union? As Deputy Martin Kenny is aware, because he is very knowledgeable on these matters, 90% of all the food, dairy and agricultural produce of this country is exported.

Will the Minister support Irish business and farmers?

The agreements offer the opportunity for more of that to be done and it is precisely because I support Irish farmers, workers and companies of all sizes-----

Up to 50,000 kg of Canadian beef will be imported into the EU.

-----that I am confident CETA will offer opportunities to them. Far from this being an attack on democracy, this Dáil will have a vote on the matter.