Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman and committee members, for this opportunity.
I work with the Colombian flower sector. I'm a Canadian and I've been living in Colombia for the last 18 years. This is my latest position, which I've held for the last seven years there.
Just like the minister of trade, I'd like to share a private experience. I was an unfortunate witness to and a participant in kidnappings. The family I married into had a number of cases. One was in 1999, when a brother-in-law, a sister-in-law, and I were taken. Fortunately, I was released at the end of the day, but they were there for six months and 11 months. In 2003, there was a second kidnapping of another brother-in-law.
So I've lived this first-hand, and I'm certainly witness to the fact that not only has the security level decreased drastically with President Uribe's policies and management, but I can also travel the country, which I couldn't do when I first arrived. So I've been able to see a lot more of the country and get to know it a lot better.
From the point of view of Asocolflores, the Colombian Flower Exporter Association, this free trade agreement is very important. Asocolflores represents 70% of flower exports, and we work very closely with governments at different levels, including participating in the free trade agreements the government leads.
The sector provides nearly 200,000 direct and indirect jobs, and 60% of the workers are women who would otherwise not have possibilities for employment. These jobs provide a buffer to the migration into the city, provide much-needed income to rural municipalities, and reduce the impact on large cities, such as Bogota and Medellin.
Some of you may know that the association introduced Florverde in 1996 as our socio-environmental program. There are over 150 different variables that have to be complied with in order to be certified, which is done by outside parties. That helps ensure that the flower growers include social responsibility. For us it is very important to have labour rights adhered to. In fact, some of the criteria for membership go above those requirements and make sure companies that are members, or are applying to be members, adhere to Colombian law in that sense.
The free trade agreement between Colombia and Canada is very important for the sector. Not only will it help maintain exports to this country; it will also help maintain economic sustenance for the municipalities that depend on this income and the maintenance of these 200,000 jobs.
I'm open to any questions to clear up or go any deeper into any of these aspects.
Thank you very much.