Thank you, Madam Chair.
I want to say hello to my colleagues and thank all the witnesses.
My first question is for Mr. Van Harten.
You explained why you think the investor-state dispute settlement mechanism was politically damaging. I completely agree with you. The UN published a report on prosecutions not only in Canada, but around the world. The data may not be quite up to date. Be that as it may, according to the report, about 60% of those prosecutions resulted in the state losing the case or in an out-of-court settlement. In 60% of cases, the political will backed down to for-profit companies.
What's more, according to a report by the European Union, the mechanism has non-quantifiable impacts. Take for example the permanent pressure the provisions of that mechanism apply on states and the atmosphere of self-censorship they create. In other words, leaders avoid adopting policy to avoid being prosecuted.
To your knowledge, have any studies in a Canadian context been carried out to determine whether states have indeed suffered setbacks or been subject to pressure?