Mr. Speaker, I want to express to my colleague, the Minister for International Trade, how delighted I am that this bill has come before the House today, so quickly after we have taken office.
There are many Canadians who have been concerned about this issue and I want to put a question to my colleague because I have a very special and specific interest in this.
Recently Ovide Mercredi, Bob White, head of the Canadian Labour Congress, and others made a visit to Mexico during which they were investigating conditions that exist there today, or are purported to exist, under which people already were maybe taking advantage of the relationship that we have in this trade agreement. I have been notified of this and many people think that those of us as Liberals who campaigned against NAFTA have walked away from that commitment.
I have a question for my colleague. Is it his view that these side agreements and this piece of legislation that we are putting through the House so quickly today will supply us with the teeth necessary so that when incidents such as were described in the papers recently in terms of people in the community being repressed, et cetera, for certain activities they will help us in addressing that type of incident?