moved for leave to introduce Bill C-228, An Act to amend the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Act (prior review of treaties by Parliament).
Mr. Speaker, today, the Bloc Québécois is keeping a promise by introducing a bill to enable Parliament to not only review but also vote on the text of trade agreements before the Government of Canada ratifies them.
This bill will basically do two things. First, it will require the government to table the text of the agreement in the House, debate it, examine it in committee, receive recommendations from elected officials and vote on its wording. Second, the bill will require the government to publish the text of the agreement or any amendments to agreements that are already in effect in the Canada Gazette, on its website and in the Canada Treaty Series.
It is inconceivable that, in 2025, the government still unilaterally decides what is on the table. It does not report to anyone on how the negotiations are progressing and it assumes the right to sign treaties before their text is made public. It does not even have to ask the public's opinion. The public deserves greater transparency from the federal government. This bill therefore strikes a good balance between the right of elected officials and the public to know what is in the treaties that their government is signing on their behalf and respect for the Crown's prerogative to enter into such treaties.
I hope that my colleagues will recognize the importance of this bill.
(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)