Mr. Chairman, we would like to see parliamentarians consulted about any changes in the GPT, simply because of the political overtones and possibly the political consequences that these changes might have.
The reason I mention this-in fact, the hon. member for Louis-Hébert and I both brought this up in our speeches is that today, some countries that benefit under the GPT can no longer be called developing countries, and I am thinking specifically of Singapore and South Korea. If we reassess the relevance of granting these countries GPT status, I think this might eventually have a political impact on our relations with those countries.
We also expressed the hope that respect for human rights would be a consideration in the case of certain countries benefitting under the GPT. One example is the People's Republic of China which, at 33 per cent, I think, is the main beneficiary of this general preferential tariff. My question is therefore whether we should eventually reconsider granting the GPT status to countries that openly violate human rights.
I think parliamentarians should be able to consider any reassessment of the GPT status of the countries involved.