Mr. Chair, in starting my response, I'd like to reiterate the fundamental objectives of the government in terms of implementing a multi-pronged strategy to improve the CSR performance of the Canadian extractive industry and as well to contribute to governance and institutional capacity building in host countries through collaborative government-to-government work. This multi-pronged strategy, building on the existing measures in place, including the OECD guidelines and national contact point, includes a number of mechanisms that, working together, provide a fulsome way forward on this. This includes a dispute resolution mechanism through the office of the CSR counsellor.
Implementing an additional and potentially complex and costly measure that is a legislative approach, when we have existing measures in place that are based on a policy framework with the objectives I've outlined, could contribute to confusion. There will be challenges in terms of how that would operate with other existing mechanisms, as I've outlined. There are already in place measures in, for example, Export Development Canada to ensure that companies it engages with in its business respond substantively to the guidance of the Equator Principles.