We are currently conducting international negotiations on sectors that still lack regulations. I am thinking of companies such as Google, Facebook and Netflix. Let's take the example of Netflix, which has many subscribers in Canada and in Quebec. We know that Netflix does not pay the provincial tax in Quebec. How can we do something about that?
The issue also arises when it comes to electronic commerce. How do our local or national governments intervene on those issues they are currently negotiating? They are actually tying their hands. I understand the Americans' interest in negotiating in those sectors, since those large multinationals are mainly American. However, I think the interest is different here, in Canada. SMEs are the backbone of our economy, so our approach has to be different from the U.S. approach. As a union, we urge our governments to intervene.
Mr. Lebel was asking earlier what the impact would be if Canada did not participate in the TPP. We cannot answer that question, as our governments must tell us what is at stake for Canada. To our knowledge, no research has been published by the government on the TPP to clearly describe the advantages and disadvantages of such an agreement. I believe that the previous federal government neglected that aspect of its duty. It is up to the government to reassure Canadians, and not the other way around. I feel that the effort was not made.