International Trade committee  I don't think the FTA will achieve that, sir. I know that's the message, but I have said that those messages are public relations messages. They serve the interest of those specific business sectors in Canada that will have some benefit from this agreement. I think they contrad

International Trade committee  They have excellent market access—

International Trade committee  I want to reiterate the point, because it has been presented to the committee: Honduras has excellent market access for the vast majority of its products. The average tariff it faces is less than 5%.

International Trade committee  Thank you. The FTA reduces the ability of the Honduran state to monitor and regulate foreign investment, which is what is required to address the problem you're mentioning. It needs to be more selective about what kind of investment comes into the country and to be sure that it

International Trade committee  If I may jump in there?

International Trade committee  May I respond to your question, please?

International Trade committee  I want to reiterate what has already been said to this committee, that Honduras enjoys wide market access for its export products. It's one of the countries in the Americas with the most market access, according to the data from the Economic Commission for Latin America and the C

International Trade committee  —but are talking about how the benefits.... You seem to be insisting that the only way we can engage with this country is through this particular trade agreement, which does not address any of those issues.

International Trade committee  Yes I have.

International Trade committee  Yes, I will be very glad to do so.

International Trade committee  If we had in front of us a trade and development agreement that placed the same priority on advancing the rights of indigenous peoples in Honduras, community rights, environmental rights, and the right to clean water, that would create mechanisms for aggrieved communities to addr

International Trade committee  I think it's a question of....

International Trade committee  I think we need to start by thinking what kind of economic development will Honduras have? Currently, foreign investment in Honduras is very important. For example, in the apparel sector, labour-intensive investment is crucial for the country, but the conditions under which this

International Trade committee  Thank you for the question. There's a premise in your question that I do not accept, which is that the way to engage at the level of trade and investment is through the particular FTA that is being proposed. I disagree with that. Brazil rejected the idea of a free trade area o

International Trade committee  Thank you for the question. As I expressed, I don't think the proposed FTA is going to help to address the tremendous need in Honduras. Actually, what are required are policies to strengthen state initiatives in the social sector, including education, training, promotion of smal