Mr. Speaker, today's debate on Bill C-13 has sparked another debate regarding the impact that parliamentarians from all parties, and in Parliament as a whole, have on the international trade agreements signed by Canada. As we know, the role of parliamentarians in that regard is pretty limited at this time. Amendments may be moved only with respect to the bill. They cannot affect the agreement itself. This is different than in the United States, where Congress assigns negotiating mandates. In some European countries, it is the parliaments themselves that adopt the agreements.
We agree with Bill C-13. Does my colleague agree that we should still modernize Canada's practices when it comes to international trade agreements? Is this not an opportunity to completely overhaul these Canadian practices in order to give parliamentarians and Parliament greater influence when it comes time to negotiate such agreements?