Evidence of meeting #26 for International Trade in the 43rd Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was businesses.
A video is available from Parliament.
Liberal
Sukh Dhaliwal Liberal Surrey—Newton, BC
Thank you, Madam Chair.
I want to thank the presenters. Even though the minister has gone, she has appeared many times at this committee.
My question for the department is on the mandate of Invest in Canada. We have this department. I would like to know from the department to what extent the funding amount requested in 2021-22 estimates would be sufficient to allow Invest in Canada to fulfill its mandate.
Katie Curran Chief Administrative Officer, Invest in Canada Hub
Thank you for that question. I believe I will be able to respond.
Invest in Canada has key objectives to achieve its mandates. One is to promote Canada as a premier investment destination. It's also to work on facilitating and accelerating investment decisions into Canada by offering client support and helping to accelerate their decisions. The third key objective of our mandate is really to provide that partner coordination to allow multiple levels of government to work together to facilitate that investment.
Ideally, our funding goes into those three areas.
Liberal
Sukh Dhaliwal Liberal Surrey—Newton, BC
We have to compare what Canada is investing or allocating with the amounts of money that other developed countries are putting into their agencies. I would like to know if you have that comparison.
Chief Administrative Officer, Invest in Canada Hub
I don't have the comparison in front of me, but I know that as a new organization starting up, our funding gradually increased until where we are today, at our steady state of $34 million. We believe this is sufficient to achieve our mandate as it's set out for us right now, with our allocated resources of 67 employees.
Liberal
Sukh Dhaliwal Liberal Surrey—Newton, BC
When it comes to trade and diversification, how will Invest in Canada help the government and the minister diversify trade?
Chief Administrative Officer, Invest in Canada Hub
Definitely a part of Invest in Canada's strategy is to support the government's objective of trade diversification, and that's done through the multiple different investors we work with from different countries for different sectors all across Canada. Definitely part of our area of focus is the trade diversification priority.
Liberal
Sukh Dhaliwal Liberal Surrey—Newton, BC
Because of the COVID-19 situation, the work has been affected, whether it's overseas or here. Could you tell me if you noticed any negative effects? If so, how are you going to mitigate them and work in the future?
Chief Administrative Officer, Invest in Canada Hub
Yes, definitely.
Like many organizations around the country, we had to do some pivoting last year, and I believe the trade commissioner service said this well. It developed virtual tools, as did we. We saw that in-person live events were no longer happening, so we pivoted to participating in virtual events and developed our own tools for virtual site visits, using drone footage and other digital tools to assist investors who weren't able to come to Canada to see different sites and tour across Canada. These are some of the ways we pivoted in 2020, and we anticipate continuing to pivot in 2021.
Liberal
Sukh Dhaliwal Liberal Surrey—Newton, BC
What are some of the challenges and tangible solutions that the department had?
Chief Administrative Officer, Invest in Canada Hub
Do you mean the department itself?
Chief Administrative Officer, Invest in Canada Hub
One of our main objectives was to bring the whole of government under one umbrella when we showed up to events. That was part of our creation and part of what we were supposed to deliver on. Showing up to events under the Canada umbrella, as team Canada, was a bit of a challenge in a virtual world, where events were either being cancelled or switching to the virtual platforms. It was definitely a challenge for us as a department or corporation to adjust to that. However, I believe we've been successful over the past year in delivering on virtual events under the team Canada umbrella.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Judy Sgro
Mr. Dhaliwal, I'm sorry, but your time is up.
We'll go on to Mr. Savard-Tremblay, for two and a half minutes, please.
Bloc
Simon-Pierre Savard-Tremblay Bloc Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, QC
Thank you.
We're also looking at investor-state dispute settlement right now. I'll ask my question, and the official who is best able to answer it can do so.
A 2016 article by the C.D. Howe Institute noted that it was time for Canada to take a thorough look at its approach to this issue. On the parliamentary side, our committee conducted a study that isn't quite finished yet. You're part of the last meeting.
I want to know whether you, on your end, have also conducted a study on the impact and consequences of the mechanism.
Assistant Deputy Minister, Trade Policy and Negotiations, Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development
Madam Chair, I think Shendra Melia would be best suited to respond to that.
Shendra Melia Acting Director General, Services, Intellectual Property and Investment, Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development
Over the past number of years, Canada has demonstrated a lot of interest in continuing to examine the implications of investor-state dispute settlement in the context of the work we do with our regional trading partners and bilateral trading partners. I would emphasis in particular, in the context of the work that the government has done to review its foreign investment promotion and protection agreements, that the government last undertook a major review of its FIPA model in 2003, and for the past few years has been undertaking a very intensive study of the benefits and challenges of investor-state dispute settlement in that context.
Liberal
Bloc
Simon-Pierre Savard-Tremblay Bloc Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, QC
I just want a confirmation that requires a brief answer.
Internal studies have been conducted on the issue. Is that right?
Acting Director General, Services, Intellectual Property and Investment, Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development
What I would say to that question, Madam Chair, is that we've undertaken a lot of internal analysis on our foreign investment promotion and protection agreement model, and we've done a lot of external consultations with a broad range of stakeholders. We have discussed the investor-state dispute settlement model under our FIPAs with civil society, labour organizations, indigenous partners, business associations, pension funds, legal practitioners, academics, as well as our provinces and territories. A lot of analysis has been undertaken.
Liberal
NDP
Daniel Blaikie NDP Elmwood—Transcona, MB
Thank you very much.
Quickly, in follow up to that, would you be prepared to share that analysis with the committee?
Acting Director General, Services, Intellectual Property and Investment, Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development
As I mentioned, the government has been undertaking an extensive review of its foreign investment promotion and protection agreement. We are in the final stages of that analysis. It's my understanding that we are expecting to publish a new agreement in the coming months.
NDP
Daniel Blaikie NDP Elmwood—Transcona, MB
Specifically on the question of the investor-state dispute settlement mechanisms, would you share the department's analysis—not right now—in writing with the committee, in follow-up to today's meeting?