Mr. Speaker, my hon. colleague is entitled to his own opinions, but he is not entitled to his own facts. The truth is that article 33 of this FIPA does provide a compromised and weak provision in Canada's ability to protect the environment.
However, what is very interesting about this is that my hon. colleague keeps talking about reciprocity. We have just entered into an agreement with China, a country that has a judicial system that is so unreliable and weak that he uses that fact as a justification for having an investor state dispute mechanism. In other words, Canadian companies cannot trust the Chinese judicial system well enough with the law suits to enforce their rights in China. Yet, my hon. colleague then says that the Chinese will treat Canadian companies just like it treats its own. I have some news for my hon. colleague. China is a communist command economy. It does not have the same system or record in terms of treating businesses the same way Canada treats businesses in our country. It is not reciprocal when businesses go to China and can expect only the treatment given to other Chinese companies.
Could the member tell Canadian business people why the Conservatives have failed to achieve true reciprocity for Canadian businesses operating in China, whereas we have given Chinese companies much better treatment in our country?