Mr. Chair, I will refer to the document, “Municipal Procurement Implications of the Proposed Economic Trade Agreement between Canada and the European Union”. It is an opinion that was prepared by Sack Goldblatt Mitchell for the Centre for Civic Governance at Columbia Institute. He refers to sub-national procurement and states:
In setting out the principles that should guide Canadian trade negotiations, the FCM [Federation of Canadian Municipalities] stressed the importance of: Canadian content for strategic industries or sensitive projects: A trade deal must recognize strategic and public interest considerations before barring all preferential treatment based on country of origin. There may be industries of strategic significance to a particular region, such as transit, or projects where considerations of quality, public benefit, environmental protection or business ethics means that a local government may be allowed to implement minimum Canadian content levels, within reason.
Thus under CETA, municipalities would no longer be able to restrict tendering to Canadian companies, or stipulate that foreign companies bidding on public contracts accord some preference for local or Canadian goods, services, or workers. As a result, municipalities would lose one of the few, and perhaps the most important tool they now have for stimulating innovation, fostering community economic development, creating local employment and achieving other public policy goals, from food security to social equity
I am wondering if the member would tell me whether he considers this as being one of the technicalities that he speaks to, these mere technicalities, that might upset a free trade agreement and how serious he considers the issue of sub-national procurement.