My colleague talked earlier about whether you could accept any paragraph or sentence inside the agreement. Others have talked about whether the labour movement is hiding its head in the sand when it comes to trade. I would suggest to my colleagues that the only way you can belong to a trade union is if you work. Since we understand that we're a trading nation—and I don't want to put words in your mouth—it would be to the advantage of the CLC if more folks were working so they could have the opportunity to belong to the trade union movement.
If trade is going to work for Canadian workers and for those workers in the host countries that we enter into agreements with, what do we need to see in those agreements to enhance them so there are protections, and so this rules-based system we all accept is level and fair for everyone participating?
None of us are in isolation in this. Those folks who are going to work are going to be covered by the agreements. Other things like the environment and civil society that encompass all of the attributes of that particular country and ours are going to be parts of it.
So is there a model that we should emulate or at least look to as an approach that we should take?