Thank you to our presenters today.
I would like to say that I believe we have the best workers here in Canada, and if we are on a level playing field with workers in other countries we can absolutely be competitive and excel. But I believe we have a responsibility to ensure that we don't turn a blind eye to the working and human rights conditions of workers in the countries that we have trading relationships with.
I want to point specifically to a Canadian Labour Congress response to a report that came out. It's dated Thursday, February 2, 2017. It's about the rights of Colombians to collectively bargain to have a union, and what the reality is for people who attempt to do so. There are quotes in here about the anti-union hostility, intimidation, and threats that exist for Colombians who are trying to form a union, to have some freedom of association to improve their working conditions. It notes here that there are long-standing complaints of violence and intimidation used to restrict workers' freedom of association and collective bargaining.
Could you speak to this response to the report that you put out and tell us about the conditions that exist for working people in Colombia today?