Economic Relationship between Canada and the United States committee  It wouldn't strictly. We didn't seek, within the GPA or the WTO, a carve-out for those policies like the U.S. has. We don't have a carve-out or set-asides for minority-owned businesses or women-owned businesses. I don't see that as a reason not to pursue them. I don't think we should be avoiding risks like that for good policy.

Economic Relationship between Canada and the United States committee  If I understand your question with respect to the good regulatory practices chapter of the USMCA, the CUSMA, I suppose we'll have to see how that chapter works out in the end. There have been concerns raised by some U.S. businesses around how Canada's plastics management plan might violate that chapter.

Economic Relationship between Canada and the United States committee  It sounds like a good idea to me, and you're the expert on this, Mr. Masse. I would add the municipal governments to that mix as well; I think maybe you mentioned them. Especially when we're talking about procurement, this is an area where we saw during the CETA negotiations, for example, that there was widespread opposition among municipalities to being included in that agreement and permanently bound to those GPA rules now on government procurement, so make sure they're in there.

Economic Relationship between Canada and the United States committee  Thanks very much, Mr. Savard-Tremblay. We talked about the steelworkers recently. The steelworkers have done some good work on this through Blue Green Canada. They have a proposal for sustainable purchasing at multiple levels of government. It would factor in things like the carbon emissions of Canadian cement versus those of international cement or steel or aluminum.

Economic Relationship between Canada and the United States committee  On things like renewable power, I think I heard Mr. Verheul propose that this is an area in which we might be able to get some kind of sectoral arrangement with the United States, rather than a full-on waiver for everything, which is probably unlikely outside of the buy American policies, for which, in many cases, we would have a waiver.

Economic Relationship between Canada and the United States committee  Thank you, Mr. Oliphant, for the question. I'm not sure I would say that our assessment of the first buy America deal was nihilistic. I think that is not quite the right word. In terms of the leverage we have now with the Biden administration, I would say we should be working with them where we can.

Economic Relationship between Canada and the United States committee  Thanks very much to the chair and to the committee for this chance to speak to you about the Biden administration's plan to tighten up the buy American and buy America rules. First, I'll tell you a bit about me. I currently direct the trade and investment research project at the CCPA, which has been doing public interest research into Canadian trade and investment policy since the late 1990s.