Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister for International Trade. It concerns the negotiations between Canada and Chile toward a new trade agreement.
Both the Canadian labour movement and the Chilean labour movement feel that the negotiations are an excellent opportunity to dramatically improve the NAFTA side agreements on labour and the environment.
Why is the minister not seizing this opportunity by insisting on incorporating within the proposed bilateral agreement provisions requiring both parties to respect and observe a core set of labour rights and standards?
Will the minister show the same courage on labour rights in defence of Canadian workers that he is showing on Cuba in defence of Canadian investors and not be intimidated by American congressional reluctance to see such labour and environmental standards? Or is it Canadian reluctance? Why the refusal to make progress on these issues within the context of these bilateral negotiations?