Parker David: Oral Questions — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeParker David: Oral Questions — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 20 May 2015. Volume:705;Page:3456. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]10.Hon DAVID PARKER (Labour) to the Minister of Trade: Does he stand by his description during the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations of the Canadian dairy industry as belonging “in the former Soviet Union”?Hon TIM GROSER (Minister of Trade): Yes because Mr Parker it is called a negotiation and to use one of Tana Umaga’s memorable phrases: “We ain’t here to play tiddlywinks.”Hon David Parker: Has he seen the international media reports that say that his abrasive and arrogant negotiating approach has spawned in Washington DC a new urban slang term for “counter-productive undiplomatic sledging”—that term being “grossing”? And how does he think that slagging off the Canadians using derogatory terms is going to result in a good outcome for those negotiations?Hon TIM GROSER: Unfortunately I have not seen those allegations but I am really interested in having a look at them. At least it might mean that we are making a mark.Hon David Parker: I seek leave to table a document by Delaware-based policy analyst Mary Bates dated Thursday 14 May—[Interruption]Mr SPEAKER: Order! This is a point of order. The member is seeking to table a document and I expect it to be heard in silence particularly from my right-hand side.Hon David Parker:—saying that such incendiary fighting words clearly do nothing to assist Canadian diplomats to help New Zealand help itself.Mr SPEAKER: The document has been described. I think it was dated was it?Hon David Parker: 14 May.Mr SPEAKER: 14 May. Leave is sought to table that particular document. Is there any objection? [Interruption] Order! Is there any objection? There is not. It will be tabled.Document by leave laid on the Table of the House.Hon David Parker: Will he accept responsibility and admit that he has poisoned the negotiations if it transpires that the Trans-Pacific Partnership terms do not reduce tariffs on dairy products to Canada to levels similar to those that were achieved in the Chinese free-trade agreement?Hon TIM GROSER: I am prepared to make an offer to the member. If this negotiation is concludedsuccessfully I will introduce him to the adult world of New Zealand and Canadian dairy over the last 30 years where Canada has pitched its interests diametrically opposed to New Zealand’s and it takes just a little bit of spine to stand up to it.Hon David Parker: Is the reason he does not think his insult of Canada has further damaged New Zealand’s reputation in trade negotiations that he has already trashed it by using the Government Communications Security Bureau to spy on his rivals for the World Trade Organization job?Hon TIM GROSER: As far as damaging Canadian sensitivities goes I have come across an article by a very senior Canadian political leader called Martha Hall Findlay who is senior enough I believe to contest the leadership of the Liberal Party. It would not mean much in the Labour Party context—Mr SPEAKER: Order! Just answer the question.Hon TIM GROSER: The article is entitled: “Why the dairy industry’s defence of supply management is so flawed”. So this is a matter for debate within and outside Canada and it is in the middle of a negotiation.Hon David Parker: I seek leave to table the Reuters report of the insult. It is dated Friday 18 April 2015.Mr SPEAKER: It is probably relatively freely available. On the basis that it will be over to the House to decide leave is sought to table that particular media report dated 18 April. Is there any objection? There is none. It can be tabled.Document by leave laid on the Table of the House.Hon Gerry Brownlee: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. Just hearing a little bit from Mr Parker about the content of the news items that he is now tabling is I think particularly interesting. I am wondering whether he might be so good as to bundle them all up and circulate them to members so that we might all enjoy them.Mr SPEAKER: The purpose of tabling the documents is to make sure that they are then available to all members. It is over to members to get them from the Table Office.Hon David Parker: Given growing international opposition to investor-State enforcement provisions in countries like Australia Europe New Zealand and the USA and the litigious nature of US companies would his Government agree to the Trans-Pacific Partnership without investor-State dispute settlement clauses if this outcome were available?Hon TIM GROSER: We would take a position very similar to that of the previous Labour Government which inserted these investor-State dispute settlement clauses into a number of the agreements that it successfully negotiated including the China deal. The answer is that there will not be a deal on the Trans-Pacific Partnership without investor-State dispute settlement clauses so we are negotiating with great care to ensure that there are adequate disciplines over that policy and adequate safeguards.Rt Hon Winston Peters: In the interests of introducing Mr Parker to the adult world when will the Minister take himself out of rumoured talk about being the next ambassador to Washington given his totally inappropriate use of the Government Communications Security Bureau to spy on international associates of ours in the advancement of his own egotistical and narrow career?Hon Gerry Brownlee: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. That might be a very entertaining question for Mr Peters and his colleagues but it is so wide of the mark that it is unacceptable as a supplementary question.Rt Hon Winston Peters: He did refer to—and he put it into the question—the issue of being part of the adult world. And that is what I am hanging my question on. [Interruption]Mr SPEAKER: Order! I think the question is certainly—[Interruption] Order! The first part of the question is certainly completely out of order; there is no ministerial responsibility. If the Minister wants to address the second part of the question he can do so and that was the bit about—Hon TIM GROSER: Mr Speaker I am happy to address the second part of the question. We have a process for investigating all of these issues; we will wait and see what the inspector-general has to say on the matter.