Certainly. Mr. Julian's bill really brings about the comprehensive due diligence framework that we believe Canada needs so that all of our companies are aware of their human rights responsibilities and make sure that they respect human rights in all of their operations and throughout their global supply chains.
At the moment, there is no enforceable standard. Some companies do it, but many companies do not, so that puts a lot of Canadian investment at risk. It also puts a lot of people in harm's way, depending on where a Canadian company might be operating. A consistent framework that covers all human rights and expects all companies to exercise their due diligence is an emerging global standard that we feel Canada must also adopt.
We see that the European Union is developing a due diligence framework, and we think that is going to be the trend. We really have to get ahead of this, and our businesses really need to do this due diligence to ensure that they're operating responsibly.
On the ombudsperson, we met with the ombudsperson on the first day she was appointed. Oxfam brought some partners from Mexico and Guatemala who had been harmed by Canadian mining companies to meet with Ms. Meyerhoffer on the very first day to say that these problems are serious and that this office is needed but that we are not confident that your mandate is sufficient to give us redress in the cases we're facing. We have been telling the government and the CORE since day one that we need stronger powers in order for that office to be effective, and we would welcome the passage of Heather McPherson's private member's bill to strengthen that office.