Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you for coming forward today.
As you know, the NDP is opposed to this bilateral, but I'm quite encouraged by your comments. I think they point to a different way forward.
Mr. Phillips, when you say that essentially we need a multilateral framework, that it's a better way forward, that it's far superior to putting forward bilaterals, that encourages me. I certainly hope the government hears your powerful message.
Mr. Rice, you were speaking about the growth in exports to the Philippines under a multilateral negotiation and an increase in the market in Colombia without this bilateral. I think that's encouraging as well.
Your foremost argument, Mr. Rice, is what is happening, or what could potentially happen, in the U.S. around a trade agreement. That is the argument you brought forward to justify this bilateral that we believe is very problematic.
But I was in Washington this week, actually, meeting with members of the U.S. Congress who actually vote on the deal: the chair of the House trade working group, the ranking Democratic Congresswoman for the House of Representatives, and other members of Congress from across the U.S. from the Democratic majority. Not a single one of those members of Congress believes the U.S.-Colombia trade deal will come to a vote. They feel very strongly that the administration's tentative steps early in the new year to try to get the deal through were met with a very ferocious opposition from members of Congress who fundamentally oppose the deal.
Now Democrats are working on the TRADE Act, a fair trade act that's being presented, and with 125 Democrats signing on, there's very clear opposition to U.S.-Colombia. In fact, two Republicans signed on as well. A similar deal is going to be moved in the Senate soon.
So if we take away that issue of any adoption in the United States from Democratic members of Congress--it's a very clear no--we can get back to the merits of the deal itself.
Obviously there are fundamental concerns about labour rights, about human rights. We had another massacre a few weeks ago. Twelve representatives of the Awa first nation were brutally killed. Human rights groups and eyewitnesses say that the Colombian military killed them. There has been no investigation. There is virtual impugnity for this kind of crime.
I understand that you're not here to testify on human rights issues, but if you would care to comment on how the Canadian government should act when an arm of the Colombian government brutally massacres 12 of its citizens, I would appreciate those comments.
I would like to move on now to the issue--