Yes. There's quite a bit of comment on this, because at this trade committee we spend a lot of time talking about the impact of trade agreements, but we don't have the government doing its own analysis of trade agreements and their effectiveness, so we'll often see outside groups come forward. We just had the National Bank come forward on CETA, telling us that we've had a 46% decrease in exports over a 10-month period since signing the agreement, but again we don't have any government analysis on this.
If we had a government analysis, it would be helpful to our understanding. The first part of the amendment talks about the costs incurred, about being fiscally responsible, being accountable for the amount of money we're spending, whether we're seeing return on our investment for the money we're spending on these trade agreements. Each agreement would certainly be unique in that way.
In this particular agreement with Israel, we have quite a trade imbalance. We import a great deal more than we export to Israel. It would provide an understanding of how much we're spending to be able to see the benefits of the trade agreement.
The signing of the agreement doesn't end our obligations to it. They continue in costs, in committees, people having to meet, and the gender impact assessment. I just go back to this one because if this government, which professes to be feminist, is going to address gender issues in a meaningful way, then we have to do so in a way that reflects what is being asked for in international circles. The thing that's being asked for is a gender impact assessment of the whole agreement—not just this existing chapter, but a lens on the entire agreement. It's the only thing that will ever address the issue of gender in trade agreements.
Then there is the economic impact analysis. I think this is pretty self-explanatory, with a detailed jobs analysis. How is it that we keep signing trade agreements and not reflecting on their impact? Are we gaining jobs? In what sectors are we gaining jobs? Are we losing jobs? Who's being impacted?
There's a lot of talk out there about sectoral trade because of the way that trade is impacting different sectors in a very real way. Manufacturing and agriculture are often pitted against each other in trade agreements. If the government is professing that the trade agreements and the opening of markets will have an impact and that we will see some benefit to trade out of that, then the question is, how do we analyze that? How do we quantify that? How do we put that in a way Canadians can understand?
I think that having an economic impact analysis before we enter into trade agreements is also very beneficial to give us an understanding. We saw that in the CPTPP; the government didn't have the best economic forecasting included in their own analysis.
I was listening to my colleague talk about the job losses in Oshawa, about manufacturing and how they've been disadvantaged in trade agreements. If we have a way to understand how trade agreements are impacting jobs, then there's a conversation to be had on that impact with working people across our country. I think it's very important and should be a primary goal of this committee, to be honest.
Obviously, we aren't living up to our international commitments on human rights in this agreement. There's a path there for us to do that. We could have simply put in the language that the EU included. It hasn't been controversial, it didn't cause any major ripples across Israel or in their relationship with them, and I think it was the responsible thing to do to be a leader on human rights.
This is something that Canada aspires to do, but it's also something that Canada has committed to do this and to recognize, so to not see that included....
I think we should have an analysis of the impact of this act, of trade, on human rights, because it's often being held up by the Liberal government as something they would like to see addressed in trade agreements. My experience here is that they have yet to do so meaningfully or, quite frankly, at all.
We've seen in other agreements as well an opportunity for Canada to play a leadership role in the way that they—that we—know Canadians want us to do globally. Certainly human rights issues in China and in ASEAN countries really should be addressed. At the very least, if we're not addressing them in the trade agreements, as the Liberals have failed to do here, that's a reflection on how we are doing.
What is the human rights condition in the country? Has trade had any impact on that? It simply calls on that, and on the Minister of Labour specifically to do that.
I think this amendment speaks to a lot of the work we do here, and a lot of the things that we hear from our witnesses on a consistent basis in the public space. If we as a trade committee are to try to find a way to address them, this amendment is an opportunity to do so. I would invite my colleagues to support the work and efforts that we've had here.
I don't think this amendment goes against the spirit of the agreement in any way. I don't think it's something that would harm our relationship. Again, it's just a domestic thing for Canada, to understand trade in a more meaningful way.