If I may continue, Mr. Chair, we certainly were able to hear from a number of people, both in the fall and again in the spring, who said the same thing. Even though we were having hearings that indicated this amendment, some people initially thought, might have some merit, we have had labour unions wanting to come before this committee, and we have seen as well that the representatives of working women and workingmen across the country have expressed strong concerns about this overall agreement.
So how do we address that, Mr. Chair? How do we address the fact that millions of people, those individuals who are Canadians, who work within labour unions, who are organized, and who have the benefit, fortunately, of having collective responses to health and safety issues, wage issues, and all of those other issues, have not been able to testify on Bill C-2?
It seems to me, Mr. Chair, that the least we can do to address this inequity is push the minister—and we say the words “shall consult”—to consult on a regular basis with representatives of Canadian labour and trade unions. What this means is that the point of view of those millions of working women and workingmen who are engaged in the trade union movement would be able to move forward and hopefully be heard by the government.
I think it's fair to say, Mr. Chair, that the vast majority of unionized workers across the country do not feel that they've been heard during this process. They have not had the opportunity to testify on Bill C-2. Given the fact that we're not even putting collective bargaining and the ability to develop free and fair collective bargaining rights in Colombia as a purpose in this amendment--