There are a number of Canadian cases being brought before the judiciary in foreign jurisdictions, including some cases that were funded by EDC. You heard about one of them earlier this week. It was formally a Placer Dome mine, now a Barrick mine, in the Philippines, where a lawsuit is pending in the United States because there are no opportunities to bring lawsuits of that type in Canada.
Unfortunately, this bill doesn't address that problem. I may not have been clear in my response to the previous question, but this bill does not provide the legal basis for bringing claims in this country. In my comments I mentioned that was something this legislature might want to think about, because I think it's very important. Those actions demonstrate that we have a policy and legal vacuum in this country around the activities of our corporations overseas that we need to address.
I think this bill is one important step in the right direction in addressing that vacuum. While it doesn't provide a basis for lawsuits for those who have been harmed, it does ensure that the government's house is in order. It ensures that the public services provided to our companies happen in a way that is consistent with our values and our international human rights obligations. That seems to be a priority, to me.