Evidence of meeting #19 for International Trade in the 39th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was norway.
A recording is available from Parliament.
5:20 p.m.
Conservative
5:20 p.m.
General Counsel, Trade Law Bureau, Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade
On dispute settlement, the dispute settlement system as contained in the Canada-EFTA Free Trade Agreement is a very simple one. Each side chooses one arbitrator and then the two parties that are in dispute choose the chair. It's the classical arbitration model. It's even called an arbitral tribunal, so it's very simple.
On the preamble, yes, the preamble is not excluded from dispute settlement. If a hypothetical question of environment or labour were to come up, one would have to figure out to what extent the preamble contains an actual obligation. A preamble generally is not viewed as containing obligations as such; it is more an introductory statement.
5:20 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Lee Richardson
Okay. I think we're going to have to leave it at that. We've run past our time.
I do want to thank the witnesses. And of course I'm sure you could get responses to any further questions from the officials. They have been most cooperative and helpful.
All of you, I appreciate your coming. Thank you very much for being here today.
While the witnesses are leaving, we've just got a couple of matters. I'm going to pass out the report we have completed and adopted on the Canada-Korea free trade negotiations. Just for your interest, it's not in the final form. The only difference is that there's going to be a kind of glossy cover.
I just wanted to mention to the committee that it would be my intention to table it in the House tomorrow.
Mr. Bains, we're gong to table it in the House tomorrow.
5:20 p.m.
Liberal
Navdeep Bains Liberal Mississauga—Brampton South, ON
Yes, I appreciate that, Chair. I saw that and the dissenting report and everything. It's pretty exciting stuff.
5:20 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Lee Richardson
Yes.
We did have one final piece of business. We were going to go in camera for that because the report was confidential, but we don't need to discuss the report. It has been adopted by the committee. I'm just going to table it tomorrow.
The next one is the question of travel for the committee. It has been proposed, in our pursuit of these various free trade agreements, that the committee may wish to travel to Colombia and perhaps, although the agreement is finished, Peru. And while in the neighbourhood, I understand that Ecuador is also under consideration or can, as an Andes partner, come into one of those agreements. I just want to put that on the table, because we have received an expression of interest from committee members.
I want to put it on the agenda for Wednesday. I'm going to ask the clerk and our analyst to perhaps put together some suggestions as to, if such a trip were to occur, when it would be convenient to go. I think the notion is the sooner the better, maybe April or maybe May. After discussion with various whips, I understand it might even be while the House is sitting. So that would be a consideration.
I just want people to be thinking about that for Wednesday, if you have some suggestions as to timing, and we'll also have some ideas as to what was done and accomplished on previous visits—because I understand members have gone to Colombia before—and what a possible itinerary might look like. So I will leave that to the clerk and ask you to bring your thoughts on Wednesday about that, that perhaps in the next six weeks we will visit South America.
Mr. Miller.
5:25 p.m.
Conservative
Larry Miller Conservative Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound, ON
In regard to that—something to think about, Mr. Chairman—there is a little bit of conflict down there right now with Venezuela and Colombia, or the threat of that. So I wonder if, when the clerk is preparing some figures, maybe we could throw Europe in there as well, because I'm sure the conflict that seems to be heating up down there may be part of the discussion on Wednesday, and maybe that would be an alternate choice to going to these countries that we just talked about. So could I just throw that out there?
5:25 p.m.
Conservative
5:25 p.m.
Liberal
Navdeep Bains Liberal Mississauga—Brampton South, ON
Yes, I was about to say that Europe is a pretty big country.
My only view is that in the past, at least thus far since I've been in the committee, our trips have been consistent with the themes we've been discussing. So Colombia makes sense. It's pertinent, relevant, and timely.
As to Europe itself, we haven't indicated in this committee a desire to pursue looking into that matter in the near future. I think we've decided to talk about EFTA and then Colombia. So maybe not Europe, but if there was a desire, as a possible option, maybe EFTA...but I'm not sure. We've already signed the free trade agreement and it has gone by.
5:25 p.m.
Conservative
5:25 p.m.
Liberal
Navdeep Bains Liberal Mississauga—Brampton South, ON
Okay. I'm not sure how much value that would be, so again, I would question that particular trip.
But definitely Colombia, in my opinion, is very time-sensitive, recognizing, of course, the concerns you've raised with respect to Venezuela. But on our side, we feel that it's a very important trip.
5:25 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Lee Richardson
It sounds like you gave a war and nobody came. There's only one side at war down there.
In any event, I think that's all we needed. I just wanted to put it on the table and seek your views.
If there is no further business, we will adjourn until Wednesday.
