Mr. Chairman, this motion by the official opposition New Democrats would add the following after line 18 on page 4:
(1.1) The Minister must
(a) co nsult with independent experts on human rights and independent human rights organizations in order to assess the impact, on human rights in Canada and in the Republic of Panama, of the implementation of the Agreement; and
(b) within 60 days after this Act comes into force, cause to be laid before each House of Parliament a report on that assessment that includes the findings and recommendations of those experts and organizations or, if that House is not then sitting, on any of the first five days next thereafter that that House is sitting.
I won't belabour this point, but we did hear evidence from the ambassador from Panama and others that Panama was not that long ago a military dictatorship. It was a country that was a significant player in the drug trade and, of course, a known tax haven. Human rights abuses were common in Panama. They were not, I don't think, the worst in Central America, but I think any human rights abuses anywhere are not something Canadians wish to see.
This motion, then, has an evidentiary basis to it. Again, we're encouraged by the recent progress that Panama has made in transitioning to a democratic structure, but I think it's fair to say that Panama is not yet a country that we can say is fully committed to a fully democratic structure.
We also heard some evidence that the judiciary in Panama is still not completely independent. The possibility of political instability and political repression combined with a judiciary not yet fully independent of politicians forms a sound basis to require a human rights impact assessment and to require the minister to take some extra care to ensure that human rights, which I think all members of this committee and Parliament want to see improved by a trade agreement, are in fact elevated. The only way we'll know that is if we consult with people who know what's going on, on the ground in Panama, and parliamentarians will only know if such a report is tabled in Parliament.
Again, I would put it the other way. Besides encouraging members to vote for it, I would point out that if you don't vote for this, you're essentially saying that there will be no report tabled in Parliament on human rights on this trade deal, and I think that's regrettable.