International Trade committee  No. We're not looking at specific.... We're looking at the theory of trade agreements, the idea of trade agreements, the model of trade agreements. In the last four or five years, the model of Canada's trade agreements has been pretty much comprehensive, following the NAFTA model.

International Trade committee  Stuck on NAFTA?

International Trade committee  Well, we were concerned that.... I wasn't with the council at that time, but I think, in general, civil society was concerned that NAFTA would open the “giant sucking sound”. Remember the giant sucking sound that Ross Perot talked about in the United States in regard to seeing the loss of jobs?

International Trade committee  As I say, it's hard to say how the Pacific Alliance documents and how the different agreements that take place or discussions that take place.... As far as I know, Canada is not participating in the discussions of the different working groups now. But one of the questions I raised that I think this committee needs to look at is to engage with the negotiators of the Pacific Alliance and ask the questions.

International Trade committee  I got that data from an article in Reuters. It was based on a study by...I'll provide you with that. I don't have it right here with me at this time, but I will provide that.

International Trade committee  Google Mexican wages—Mexican wages lower than Chinese—and see what you come up with.

International Trade committee  I think you have to be very careful. As has been stated over and over in this committee, we don't know what the investment rules will be in the Pacific Alliance. We don't know the transparency or the legal requirements they will place on investors. I think Canada and this committee need to do a study perhaps on the implications of Canada's investment rules and investment protections, starting in chapter 11.

International Trade committee  No.

International Trade committee  No, hourly wages, I think I said.

International Trade committee  I would like to refer to your comment about Uribe, because he's pretty much discredited in Colombia. He's been linked to drug traffickers. He's opposed to many of the policies of the current government, in terms of negotiating a peace settlement with the FARC. These negotiations are taking place, and he's staunchly against them.

International Trade committee  I really don't know much about that one. We really focus on the Americas. My understanding is that the Jordan agreement doesn't have some of the most negative aspects. I believe there's no investment chapter in the Jordan agreement, which would be our major critique. But I really can't speak about the Jordan agreement.

International Trade committee  I worked at the Canadian Labour Congress for many years, and whenever we came to this committee that question was asked. The answer was always the Canada-U.S. Auto Pact. The Canada-U.S. Auto Pact was the kind of free trade agreement.... The Canadian Council for International Co-operation is not against trade.

International Trade committee  The modern free trade agreements that contain very strong protection for investments, the kind of thing they're trying to negotiate in the TPP, we absolutely do not accept.

International Trade committee  This is a very important question, and it's a very interesting question. It's not an easy question to answer because linking human rights violations to the articles and details of a trade agreement is very difficult to do, which is why we at the Americas Policy Group worked with this committee over a period of a year or so to develop a recommendation for a human rights impact assessment to answer those very questions: how will the trade agreement affect the human rights in a particular country?

International Trade committee  He's done a number of studies. He's made a number of recommendations about states taking responsibility for the impact of their free trade agreements on the human rights of their trading partners. Other academics at universities in Britain.... There's a large body of really good, sound information that shows that governments should carry out human rights impact assessments before the agreement goes into effect.