Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to speak today about the Canada-Honduras free trade agreement.
I have been very fortunate, in having been part of ParlAmericas, to go to Central America and meet with different leaders from various countries and to talk to them about the issues they have. This issue on trade is certainly extremely important. As a result of this experience, I am confident that members will also see the benefits of this partnership, for Canadian exporters, service providers, and investors alike.
Our Conservative government is focused on the priorities of Canadians, that is, creating new jobs and new opportunities. We continue to work hard to ensure the competitiveness of Canadian businesses and exporters in the global marketplace.
This free trade agreement with Honduras is about more than just trade and investment. Our Conservative government is committed to taking action on environmental issues that matter most to Canadians. We have been consistent in demonstrating that trade liberalization and environmental protection go hand in hand. For that reason, as part of this comprehensive free trade agreement, Canada and Honduras are committed to striving for good environmental governance, while at the same time opening our borders to the benefits of increased economic activity.
Canada and Honduras recognize the need to implement this FTA in a manner that is consistent with environmental protection and promoting sustainable development. That is why in concluding this free trade agreement, Canada and Honduras also signed a parallel agreement on environmental co-operation. The parallel agreement commits both countries to encouraging high levels of domestic environmental protection to foster good environmental governance and promote transparency and public participation.
This follows the approach we have taken in this regard with previous free trade agreements, such as those with Peru, Colombia, Jordan, and Panama, all building on the approach that Canada, the United States, and Mexico took together in negotiating environmental provisions alongside the North American free trade agreement.
With the growth of economic, environmental, and social links between our two countries that will follow from this free trade agreement, Canada and Honduras recognize the desirability of pursuing policies that promote sustainable development and sound environmental management.
This agreement on environmental co-operation, like others that Canada has signed, would commit Canada and Honduras to effectively enforcing our environmental laws and ensuring we do not relax or weaken those laws to encourage trade or investment. This agreement would commit both countries to pursuing high levels of environmental protection and continuing to develop and improve their environmental laws and policies.
In recognition of the substantial benefits of international trade and investment, and with a view to strengthening our mutual economic and environmental objectives, this agreement includes a commitment to encouraging voluntary best practices of corporate social responsibility. It also includes a key commitment that both countries maintain appropriate environmental assessment procedures. These are also commitments to promoting public participation and transparency to promote public awareness of environmental laws and policies.
Similarly, the agreement includes mechanisms that would allow residents of Canada and Honduras to ask questions of either party about the obligations under the agreement.
The agreement would also commit Canada and Honduras to ensuring that domestic proceedings are available to provide sanctions or remedies for violations of our respective environmental laws.
In addition, the agreement would also put in place a framework for Canada and Honduras to work co-operatively in support of the environmental objectives and obligations of this agreement. To this end, Canada and Honduras will work together to develop a co-operative work program to address mutual environmental priorities and enhance overall environmental management capacities.
Points of co-operation will be determined once the agreement is in force, and could include working together on such priorities as environmental enforcement, climate change, migratory species, conservation of biodiversity, and protective areas management. In order to oversee implementation, a committee on the environment would be established, which would be comprised of government officials from both Canada and Honduras.
Importantly, we have set out a bilateral consultation mechanism in the agreement to address any differences that may come about through the implementation of this agreement. Our dispute resolution approach focuses on facilitating dialogue and building environmental management capacity rather than increasing the administrative burden.
To complement the commitments in the environmental co-operation agreement itself, the Canada-Honduras FTA has a principle-based environment chapter that sets out the relationship between the FTA and the agreement on environmental co-operation. The FTA also includes other important environment-related provisions in relation to the importance of environmental protection and conservation and the promotion of sustainable development. Among these, the text of the free trade agreement ensures that certain multilateral environmental agreements with trade-related provisions would prevail over the FTA in the event of an inconsistency.
With the Canada-Honduras agreement on environmental co-operation and the related text in the FTA, Canada has again taken steps to ensure that increased trade does not come at the expense of the environment. Together with Honduras, we have set out an agreement that commits us both to striving for good environmental governance in order to protect the environment, while realizing the benefits of increased economic activity flowing from liberalized trade.
Our Conservative government is committed to increasing opportunities for mutually beneficial commerce and investment, including with our partners in the Americas, in order to generate inclusive and sustainable economic growth and prosperity. This new partnership with Honduras is a great example. The Canada-Honduras free trade agreement, and its parallel environment agreement, will contribute to new opportunities for Canadian businesses, exporters, and investors, while working to ensure positive environmental outcomes for both countries.
For these reasons, I urge all members to support the Canada-Honduras free trade agreement.