Thank you, sir.
First off, to the previous gentleman's comment that the mining companies that we've discussed today, including Barrick and Pacific Rim, etc., have a chance before the committee, I think we can well script.... We can understand exactly what they will say. They will deny any wrongdoing. They will say they have the utmost international best practice.
We know that's what they're going to say, and that's fine, but what I would suggest, sir, is that if you're going to invite them in front of the committee, then some local people living around the mines, who have these issues, should be brought in as well to comment about their perspective about this.
On the second point, the second gentleman's question about the U.S. initiative to increase corporate social responsibility overseas, the U.S. government has been, I think, slower than the Canadian government. I think Bill C-300 would be a step beyond where we are right now, but as I mentioned, the Overseas Private Investment Corporation, OPIC, somewhat analogous to EDC, does have their own CSR guidelines. They are revising them.
As we speak, I think their new guidelines are due out May 20, just a week or so from now. That's exciting. I've been trying to fold some ideas into that, but I don't know what they are.
But again, the only advantage I see currently in the OPIC guidelines is that this applies to all industries, not just extractive industries--fisheries, forestry, pharmaceuticals, investment banking, transportation, and agriculture--all these other international investments that the United States companies have. I think that's an advantage. The disadvantages are, again, that there's really no compliance mechanism; there are no mandatory sanctions within OPIC guidelines right now. They only apply project-specific...so if a company, for instance, has a problem in one project, that's the only thing the OPIC guidelines will focus on, rather than the company's activities as a whole.
So there are disadvantages in regard--