Thank you for your questions.
To respond to your first question with regard to the obligation of the parties who have signed the agreement to respect their partner's labour laws and the basic tenets of the WTO, I have to say that this is what we aspire to. Negotiations are ongoing and we believe we will achieve that goal, and more.
You are right to say that, in the beginning, it was a concern raised by the Americans. In fact, there was an agreement. Last year, the Americans had renegotiated the agreement to include that obligation. Canada must also respect these basic rights, and it went even further by including occupational health and safety standards for migrant workers. This is new and fairly interesting. That is what we are aiming for in these negotiations. In fact, we are very proud of this section. If the parties can agree to it, I think Canadians will be very pleased.
As for what can be done to improve the situation of workers, we have to be honest and acknowledge that this type of agreement is only one tool in the tool box. It is an important tool which can help us. A few years ago, as far as labour standards were concerned, there was no mention of human rights. But now, we are dealing directly with the Department of Labour and the unions.
I myself went to Columbia to meet with the main union leaders.Our minister was also there, and he spoke to the union leaders and to President Uribe. The message was clear. Even the Colombian ambassador recognized that one death was one too many.
We recognize that the Colombian government is making an effort. The situation has improved, but there is still work to do, and the Colombian government recognizes this. By being there, and having a strong agreement we will, we believe, improve the situation. I believe that changes can be made with the $1 million envelope which was announced. But it is one tool among many.