Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  It would allow us to compete more effectively in our home market here in Canada. The biggest threat that we see is imports from Asia, from countries that might not necessarily have, for example, the same strict social compliance standards that we employ. A free trade agreement between Canada and Honduras will allow us to compete more effectively against Asian imports and our primary competition, meaning companies in the United States.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Absolutely. I think I mentioned earlier that one of the greatest ways to improve conditions in a country is by developing its economy, and a free trade agreement between Canada and Honduras will really open the doors for additional future Canadian investment that will help create jobs and infrastructure and will bolster the economy.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Our code of conduct is based on the ILO principles. We have very strict standards. We do regular monitoring to ensure that each of the underlying principles of our code of conduct is respected at each of our locations. That's a regular audit monitoring that we do on an annual basis at each of our facilities.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  In Honduras we actually have two. Not all of our facilities are unionized. We're very pro-freedom of choice and we recognize our employees' rights to freedom of association. We work very collaboratively with unions and with NGOs in Honduras. One of our facilities in Honduras is in fact unionized and governed by a collective bargaining agreement.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  We follow the strictest of standards. Our code of conduct is based on the highest standards not just in the industry but also from the highest level of organizations, be they the ILO, the Fair Labor Association, the Worldwide Responsible Apparel Production. We conduct regular monitoring audits to ensure that these standards are maintained at the highest levels.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  It's primarily for the employees. It's based at our facilities, but families can have access to that as well, as the need arises.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  The reason we do that is to offer the best possible working conditions for our employees and, at the same time, we want to ensure as much as possible their safety and try to implement best practices in safety measures.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  They're employees of Gildan. We have a very strong, local, decentralized and highly skilled workforce that we trained and developed over the ten-plus years we've been in the country.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Typically in areas such as these we have a high retention rate of our employees. Our focus, again, is providing the best possible conditions for our employees, where we're seen as an employer of choice in the country, and every time.... I could give you an example from a couple of months ago.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Thank you. We've had successful operations in Honduras dating back to 1997, so we've been in the country for an extremely long period of time. Our positive experiences there have really allowed us to expand our operations to the point we have built up, as I mentioned in my presentation, a $500-million investment, with four textile facilities, two sock manufacturing facilities, and four sewing facilities.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  We have a very strict code of conduct that's based on ILO principles. We're accredited by the Fair Labor Association, which is a strict NGO that accredits social compliance programs, and based in Washington, D.C. We conduct regular audits, including internal audits, external audits, third-party independent audits, of our social compliance program on a regular basis every year in each of our facilities.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Of paramount importance for us is the safety of our employees and the communities in which we operate, be it Honduras or any other country where we're present. We have very stringent safety measures that we've incorporated. We have a health and safety committee in Honduras comprising 39 people.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  As I mentioned, we do have departments focused specifically on health and safety. We have 39 people in that department. We have security personnel who look after our entire employee base. It's based on training with reputable third parties. It's based on the strictest of international standards.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Our focus is really on our employees. We recognize that there are issues of corruption and violence in the country. We have always focused our practices to ensure that our employees and communities are protected, and that's been the paramount focus of our company in how we've conducted our operations.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Yes.