Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you for being with us today.
Your testimony makes me think that this question of Canadian responsibility is being dealt with rather haphazardly.
Mr. Raymond, of course you were congratulated for your policies on responsible investing. But I feel that you have not been applying those policies for a long time. If that whole question about Canadian investment in Burma had not come up, we would not have known that you had policies on responsible investment.
I have been following this file for several years. Until recently, we never knew that the Canada Pension Plan had invested money in Canadian mining companies that were systematically violating human rights. Now it seems that you have made extraordinary progress in bringing those companies to the realization that they have to pay attention to human rights. I am truly astonished by that.
I would say that you also have a responsibility to those who contribute to the Canada Pension Plan. I am extremely disappointed to see that your responsibility is primarily aligned with your desire to make money.
Have you done studies to determine the extent to which it could be to Canadians' financial advantage to pay into a pension plan that would in turn invest in mining companies that respect both the environment and human rights?