International Trade committee  We have addressed this question on several occasions, and the answer is that we cannot give an answer. However, we can say that there are clearly identified risks. In response to the other part of your question concerning forced displacements, there is something that must be kept in mind.

International Trade committee  I urge you to read in details the indicators and information available on this case on pages 32 and 33 of the report. You're right, the case has not gone before the courts. There has not been a satisfactory investigation and that's why we cannot say for sure that he was indeed assassinated by the army.

International Trade committee  No. I can't give you an exact figure.

International Trade committee  Yes. In that region, the links between the Colombian army and the paramilitary groups have been clearly proven.

International Trade committee  The main concern is that the risks identified in the report materialize. The greatest risk is that the potential violations identified here take place and that the investments planned or provided for make these violations possible. In my opinion, that is the risk that should be the focus of all our concerns.

International Trade committee  These are indeed comments that have been made by members of the Colombian army and that were noted by members of FEDEAGROMISBOL and by a Canadian organization called Christian Peacemaker Teams.

International Trade committee  First of all, these are communities that were particularly affected by the forced displacements in the middle of the 1990s. These people were victims mainly of paramilitary violence, but they were also victims of various types of attacks that took place in the context of their work.

International Trade committee  He was the vice-president of the association.

International Trade committee  There was no judgment on the case but several factors indicate that he was the victim of an extrajudicial execution. However the Columbian army claimed that he was a guerrilla member who died during fighting. He disappeared right after a meeting of FEDEAGROMISBOL where there was a discussion about the association's position on foreign investment.

International Trade committee  Once again, I would say that consistency and clarity have to be front and centre in relations between Columbia and the international community. This is particularly true for Canada. There's no doubt that the power of the paramilitary within the state is a problem. This situation has been documented in several reports.

International Trade committee  It would not be reasonable to exclude the possibility that a company is acting in a way that is not socially responsible, one cannot exclude that from the outset. On the other hand, the main problem that our study identified, as you pointed out, was a problem of context. When it comes to investing, Columbia is a particularly problematic location.

International Trade committee  The risk analysis relates to human rights. In other words, the Canadian Embassy—like all embassies in the Americas, to my knowledge—has the mandate to promote corporate social responsibility. Its mandate is not to audit or monitor corporate practices. Furthermore, it does not have the capacity, or the mandate, to assess the risks that companies face in terms of human rights.

International Trade committee  I haven't looked at that issue in particular but this is an issue of consistency. We can assess any free trade agreements that Canada signs with other countries but they have to be assessed in light of Canada's mandate to promote human rights abroad. It's important that that connection be made.

International Trade committee  Yes. I think we can certainly speculate that this happens quite regularly. As far as statistics on lands that the paramilitary have seized using violence are concerned, the government statistics refer to 6.8 million hectares. Other estimates from civil society or victims' groups refer to 10 million hectares in a country with an area of 100 million hectares.

International Trade committee  Indeed, this concerns the Colombian government's willingness and capacity, but also the leeway it is given as well as the coherent approach of the international community, in particular of Canada, in supporting its efforts. Efforts are being made to foster human rights in Columbia.