International Trade committee  Yes, that's exactly right.

International Trade committee  Actually, I think it should go a bit further than that.

International Trade committee  As I said in my opening remarks, we need to think carefully, just as we do when we sign free trade agreements. A free trade agreement can be suspended if parties don't abide by the provisions. This aspect needs to be added when we're talking about how states that sign free trade agreements respect their environmental and climate-related commitments in the Paris agreement.

International Trade committee  The EU is a perfect example. A significant number of EU countries have proposed that a free trade agreement with a third party be suspended. A state can suspend the entire agreement, not just the environmental chapter, when the other party fails to uphold its obligations under the nationally determined contributions in the Paris agreement.

International Trade committee  There's no climate reference in the current text, so at this moment we can't have any kind of analysis on how this trade deal impacts climate and Canada's objectives related to the Paris Agreement, for example, or other multilateral environmental agreements that are not mentioned in the revised text.

International Trade committee  What you mentioned is a first step. You might remember, for example, that when Ontario wanted to prioritize its own renewable energy products, Ontario got sued. I think one key element that we need to understand is that if we don't address this properly—the way you explained it is very clear—as we continue to commit to climate targets and to reduce our emissions, we're going to be forced to buy goods that allow us to reduce those emissions.

International Trade committee  Of course I am pleased, and for two reasons. Chapter 11 fostered a serious lack of transparency. Since you studied it, you know that this chapter made it possible for companies to abuse in the extreme their rights vis-a-vis governments. Its elimination is a win that I am very happy about.

International Trade committee  Seven multilateral environmental agreements are mentioned, but they are the very same ones mentioned in the former agreement. There have not really been any changes or updates despite the fact that Canada's position on these issues has changed significantly in the past 25 years.

International Trade committee  Yes, it does. There is a desire to reduce air pollution. As I mentioned earlier, there are different provisions with respect to fishing subsidies, but no specific provision forces states to meet specific commitments for air pollution. With the exception of the proportionality provision, there are no provisions that tackle the issue of oil subsidies.

International Trade committee  Thank you, Monsieur Blaikie, for the question. I think a lot of the context for the lack of climate provisions within CUSMA relates to the [Technical difficulty--Editor]. We need to be aware of that. That said, there are ways for Canada to address this question at the domestic level.

International Trade committee  I'm here.

International Trade committee  That's exactly right. That was a very good summary. I believe that there are two main points to make. First, despite some progress having been made, such as investor arbitration and other small improvements in environmental protection, when we look at the agreement as a whole, this treaty does not do nearly enough for Canada to meet its climate commitments.

International Trade committee  Yes.

International Trade committee  It's fair to say, as I mentioned in my statement, first of all, the approach of Canada and the U.S. on trade does require some type of enforceability—for example, for the environment chapter and other chapters. That said, enforceability does not mean that the clauses that countries agree to respect are ambitious enough to ensure that trade between two or three partners continues to negatively impact climate change.

International Trade committee  Thank you very much. My apologies for the quality of the video. I am in Tanzania, in the traditional land of the Wa-arusha. On behalf of Client Action Network Canada, we thank you for the invitation to address the Standing Committee on International Trade. Climate Action Network Canada is the country's largest network of organizations working on climate policy, and the sister organization of the world's largest network of environmental organizations, regrouping more than 1,300 groups around the world.