Mr. Speaker, to be truthful, the question is irrelevant to the bill that we are discussing today.
I will say that Canada respects its international obligations. This bill does underscore that Canada is open for business but we have always respected our international obligations. When the Government of Canada has been at fault with a foreign investor, we have always lived up to our obligations so it will not change anything. What it will do is protect our businesses abroad.
I have a couple of very important supportive, positive quotes for Canada ratifying this convention, which I would like to read for the hon. member. The first one is by Michael Murphy, the executive vice-president for policy, from the Canadian Chamber of Commerce. He states, “For Canadian businesses investing abroad, ratifying the ICSID Convention is an effective way for the Government of Canada to provide these investors with a means of protecting their investment: an efficient avenue for seeking a remedy should their investment be compromised”.
He also said that “Canadian businesses investing abroad would finally be afforded the same level of protection as our competitors. In addition, ratification of the ICSID Convention would enable the Government of Canada to conclude its foreign investment and protection agreement for the negotiations with China much sooner, allowing the government to produce real benefits for Canadian businesses”--