Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
Again, thank you to the witnesses for being here today.
In the last session when I was asking you some questions, there was a lot of discussion about the expectations you have for Canadian companies abroad. The challenge I have, of course, is that we can expect all we want, but if there is no enforcement, if there are no obligations for those companies...and at this moment in time, I believe that we don't have very robust systems in place, so it is a concern that I have.
A recent 2023 Amazon Watch report presented in Geneva at the United Nations Universal Periodic Review highlights that 37 Canadian extractive projects in Latin America and the Caribbean have been linked to human rights abuses, environmental degradation and violations of indigenous people's rights, including cases of criminalization of human-rights defenders and lack of access to justice.
When we talk about having expectations of these companies, if we are not able to hold them accountable through mechanisms like the CORE—the Canadian Ombudsperson for Responsible Enterprise—I'm not sure how asking nicely is going to actually get us where we need to go. I'd like to know what measures Canada is taking to have direct collaboration with grassroots organizations to prevent further harm from happening and to uphold indigenous and human rights in the region.