Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome, and thank you for being here.
We have excellent representation this afternoon. We have a group that represents a host of entrepreneurs doing business or making investments overseas, as well as one specific company that is experiencing a very unique situation that raises real fears.
But we have decided on a free trade agreement for the Canadian and Quebec economy as a whole, that is, for everyone who wants to business elsewhere. We have businesspeople who want to sell and to trade with as few tariffs and barriers as possible. Then we have investors who want to set up operations in foreign countries in order to benefit from low wages in industries that can be very competitive.
You have said that it is the government's role to ensure that the free trade agreement is a positive one in all its aspects, not only for business people, but also for employment in Canada. In fact, many people are afraid that they are going to lose their jobs. The employer fears for his company while the employees fear for their jobs.
The situation in Colombia is unique. Representatives from the organization called Lawyers Without Borders explained it to us. Despite improvements in absolute figures and percentages, it is still a fact that there are a good number of human rights and labour violations.
Overall, you seemed to be saying that you were prepared to accept arrangements to ensure that human rights and the Labour Code were respected. But would you go as far as to say that, if companies established there violated human rights, the Labour Code or workers' rights, Canada would be able to take action against companies representing us in foreign countries and doing so dishonourably?