Hon. James Downey (Minister of Industry, Trade and Tourism): Madam Speaker, I have copies for the members of the House and anybody else that wants one.

Madam Speaker, I am pleased to inform the House of two important developments in our trade and commercial relationship with Brazil and particularly with the state of Rio Grande do Sul. As a follow-up to the trade mission I led last August to Brazil, Argentina and Chili, Premier Filmon and Governor Antonio Britto of Rio Grande do Sul yesterday signed an agreement of co-operation on economic, technical and cultural development. Governor Britto, whom I met during last summer's mission, is in Winnipeg this week leading a mission by Brazilian officials and business people to this province. In addition, the state's Secretary of Development and International Affairs, Nelson Proenca, and I signed an appendix to the accord to seek opportunities for exchanges in government, education, agri-business, industrial technology and health and environment.

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Although last year's trip to South America was our province's first major trade mission to that country, it has already yielded impressive results for commercial ties between our business communities. At a special breakfast meeting this morning, IBG Global Livestock, formerly International Beef Genetics, of Gunton, Manitoba, has signed a partnership agreement with a new Brazilian company to import beef genetics and live beef and dairy cattle into Rio Grande from this province. This agreement also provides for significant technology transfer as technicians that IBG has hired in Brazil will visit Manitoba to learn more about the company's advanced livestock technology. IBG is a 50 percent owner of this Brazilian venture.

Madam Speaker, these three accords certainly augur well for Manitoba's future trade and other relations with Brazil, and I look forward to forging even stronger links with Rio Grande do Sul particularly in the months and years ahead.

Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Mr. Tim Sale (Crescentwood): Madam Speaker, the peoples of Manitoba and countries such as Brazil that are served by an increasing web of fair and free trade that pays attention to concerns about labour and environment as well as economic development issues are developments that I think we all welcome. I am particularly pleased that we have the opportunity to support multilateral kinds of trades initiatives that are mutual and not one-sided, that have fairness and justice as a base for those agreements, and so we welcome a new partner from Brazil, from a major state in Brazil, as a trading partner under this initiative with the people of Manitoba.