Thank you, Mr. chair.
I will share my time with my colleague, if time permits because I have a lot to say.
Mr. d'Aquino, you are a representative of the SPP, the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North-America, or you are close to it. Unfortunately, as MPs, we are not. You said that you are very concerned by human rights, workers' rights and the environment, and you are to be congratulated for that.
On April 7th and 8th, I attended a conference in Montréal entitled “Humaniser le commerce” where more than 20 experts from many different fields made presentations. After two days of presentations and debates, all the participants agreed on one thing and that is that no free-trade agreement has ever contributed directly to the advancement of workers' rights or to environmental issues. I understand that you would not want to speak of side agreements because, in relation to a free-trade agreement, that is just what they are, side agreements. They have little in common, if anything, with the basic agreement. Similarly, complementary agreements which are not integrated in free-trade agreements have never been beneficial either to human rights or the environment.
If we really want to make progress-- and that seems to be your wish-- how should we go about it and how can we make sure that such agreements have teeth?