Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  I'll begin by saying that obviously we do share those concerns. You've pointed to the report we put out recently. We do think there have been a number of recent worrying developments that, as we describe in our report, have led to a shrinking space for human rights critique and advocacy in the country.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  I think we have highlighted that a number of these very recent concerns are of double concern. They're of concern obviously in that they are decisions or positions that have very real impact domestically on particular human rights issues. They're also of international concern because they have in many respects isolated Canada in some UN settings or tarnished some of our reputation.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Amnesty can't take government money, sorry.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  I'll go first. A whole bunch of things came to mind, and I'll probably forget some of them. One, I think we both highlighted, and I'm sure you heard this from Kathy as well, how important consultation is. Consultation may not sound like the word that describes what you're describing, but I think the kind of approach we're imagining to consultation is something that is truly grassroots, something that is across the country, something that is not only about, you know, let's get to the experts and make sure we've got their input when we're figuring out the final version of the report.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Thank you, Mr. Reid, and good afternoon, members of the subcommittee. It's a pleasure to be in front of you once again, and once again on a topic that I've had an opportunity to discuss with you previously. Certainly it's an issue of considerable concern and interest to Amnesty International and to many organizations in Canada.

International Trade committee  I wouldn't dare speak for the Colombian government, but it certainly has been my sense throughout this whole process that the Colombian government is very intent on having a deal with Canada. I don't know that the risk of them losing interest and focusing on other countries would be a very real one.

International Trade committee  No, I wasn't.

International Trade committee  To stick with the metaphor, a rising tide may lift all boats, but there's a very real risk that any number of those boats may find themselves crashed on the rocks. If we're not very careful about ensuring that the particular impacts they will face.... Because of who they are, their identity in Colombian society—indigenous peoples, Afro-descended communities, others—they may face increased risk, not just greater prosperity and benefit as trade and investment in their part of the country increases, and if those concerns aren't addressed, then this ends up being bad news for them, not good.

International Trade committee  I think our concern is that the degree to which that may be happening has brought benefit to a limited few and has at the same time increased vulnerability and risks to marginalized groups--

International Trade committee  We have never said we should walk away. We have said let's pause, and get the human rights right and--

International Trade committee  I think the solution is very clear, then: agree to carry out the human rights impact assessment. We didn't just raise this recommendation today. We first put this issue in front of the government three years ago. This committee highlighted the need for a human rights impact assessment—I believe all members of the committee at the time—a year and a half ago.

International Trade committee  Unfortunately I wasn't here, and I have not read his study. So I guess I can't provide information at that level. I would be more than pleased, though—I assume the study is publicly available—to provide follow-up information to the committee. I think, amongst other things, questions about methodology and sources of information are key.

International Trade committee  Professor Mejía, as I understand it, is an economist; he's not a human rights expert. So there's a question about his expertise and what he did or did not bring into his analysis and work as a result.

International Trade committee  No, we wouldn't. Our experience and our documentation are that those numbers have gone up and they've gone down and they've gone up and they've gone down. But in the long term, even in the medium term, we haven't seen a significant trend that would lead us to the conclusion that it has become safer to be a trade unionist in Colombia.

International Trade committee  As an overall proposition, impunity continues to be the norm in Colombia for human rights violations, be it against trade unionists, human rights defenders, indigenous leaders, right across the board. There are, from time to time, a few high-profile cases where action is taken, usually because there's extreme international pressure.