In terms of workers' rights, as I explained in my opening remarks, the investor-state dispute settlement mechanism that existed under NAFTA has been withdrawn. I don't see any reason to make the same mistakes by including a system that would give all kinds of rights to foreign investors when workers don't have any rights.
In the event of disputes, investors have much stronger courses of action. If workers need to complain about a situation, a court doesn't necessarily make a ruling. In their case, dispute settlement is mostly done through mediation or discussions. However, this doesn't have any impact and doesn't lead to penalties. This doesn't prevent other countries or foreign investors from doing what they want.
I believe that Canada was the subject of 39 complaints through NAFTA mechanisms such as the investor-state dispute settlement system. Canada had to pay out about $600 million as a result of settlements. Billions of dollars have yet to be paid out. Most of these complaints involved environmental issues. Companies wanted to come here and set up shop without following Canadian environmental rules.
I don't see any reason to make the same mistakes by copying and pasting from the current agreement with the European Union or by including provisions that harmed us under NAFTA. By now, we should have learned from past agreements. We must avoid repeating these types of mistakes in a new agreement. Otherwise, taxpayers will have to pay a significant amount in compensation to private companies that come here and that don't want to follow our environmental rules.