Thank you, Madam Chair.
Through you, thank you to the clerk and all members of the committee for the opportunity to join you here today.
The United Steelworkers Union is the largest private sector union in North America, with over 225,000 members in Canada and 850,000 members in North America in virtually every economic sector, including, for the purposes of this discussion, energy, potash, and steel.
We are committed to ensuring that our members, as well as all workers in Canada and around the world, are treated with dignity, respect and fairness. Today, in my brief remarks, I'm here to join our voice with those who have already shared with you concerns with the investor-state dispute settlement. I would also like to raise some concerns regarding labour-specific issues within the agreement.
As others have said, the committee should recommend the removal of the investor-state dispute settlement process, or ISDS, from chapter 17. While some will argue that Ukraine is not opposed to it—in fact, it may have requested it—context, as always, is important. Ukraine is a country understandably in great need of foreign investment, but experience and, frankly, common sense show that ISDS would likely hinder, not help, the goals of sustainable reconstruction and economic development in Ukraine. It's also unnecessary for attracting Canadian investment.
By design, the investor-state dispute settlement process hinders the ability of states to regulate and govern for the common good. They are expensive for governments as well. Tribunals far too often side with corporations, awarding huge settlements that Ukraine can ill afford now or in the postwar period.
Further, in this treaty, states have no ability at all to file counterclaims against corporations. The entire process is only accessible—