Foreign Affairs committee  Thank you. I've been asked to comment more broadly on Bill C-300, so I will not be responding directly to Mr. Shrake's remarks. I was a member of the national roundtables on corporate social responsibility and the Canadian extractive industry in developing countries. I was als

Foreign Affairs committee  I recall that when I was part of the mission to Sudan there were certainly conflicting reports from Talisman Energy and from non-governmental organizations about what was going on there. Sitting in Canada, it was difficult to know what was really going on. If a company is, as Mr

Foreign Affairs committee  I would like to add something to that. Because all this bill can do is affect government funding, it's not in a position to put a halt to anything. It simply determines whether, for example, export credit will be provided by Canada, whether the Canada Pension Plan will invest in

Foreign Affairs committee  In terms of the reach of this statute—and you mentioned something about shipping companies--I'm not entirely clear. Let me give what I think might be an answer based on what I think your question was about. On the issue of what might be called the relationship of intent--how clo

Foreign Affairs committee  I wouldn't see it as an attack. I think it is the case that the extractive industries often find themselves in highly conflictual situations, because of course, unlike other industries, they can't choose to set up operations in the places that are necessarily the most--how should

Foreign Affairs committee  As I understand it, one reason the minister is named here is that it's a private member's bill, and you can't set up an ombudsman with public.... I understand there are limits on what a private member's bill can propose. I don't take a position on whether the minister is necessar

Foreign Affairs committee  Right. That's why we would want somebody who is in a better position to do it. Exactly. We want somebody who can sit down and look at the allegations. Now, you say it's time-consuming. I expect that it is time-consuming, as is the whole trial by media that this company has alread

Foreign Affairs committee  I don't want to take a really strong view on this. I think there may be benefits to having this in the hands of somebody who is independent, if that is possible. Beyond that, I feel somewhat constrained in expressing a strong view. I was a member of the round table. The round ta

Foreign Affairs committee  It is directed at government support for projects. Whether that has the effect of bringing a project to an end, I simply couldn't say.

Foreign Affairs committee  Well, I guess I would meet your question with a question: Is Canada obliged to fund projects that are contrary to the principles it claims to hold regarding human rights, voluntary principles, security...? We have no obligation to give money. I don't know the example that you'r

Foreign Affairs committee  If there are projects that EDC is funding that are perpetrating or are complicit in significant human rights violations, I would suggest to you that it is not in the Canadian public's interest to fund them. But--

Foreign Affairs committee  Let me finish my answer. Under Bill C-300, as I read it, there is a space between complaint, investigation, and outcome that is available to be developed through, as I read it, the regulations and guidelines. So it's not, as I read it, self-evident, as you suggest, that if a c

Foreign Affairs committee  You're asking me to answer a hypothetical that I'm not sure I can completely answer. But it seems to me that with a proper investigatory power, which has to be properly resourced, then you are not just able to produce the kind of investigation and documentation that enables a rea

Foreign Affairs committee  We're just not in a position to assess them, and I say that with no disrespect to Mr. Shrake. The whole point is that we can't make any assumptions here. We don't have the information, we haven't done the investigation. So we can't begin with the starting point that of course Mr.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  Thank you for this opportunity to make a presentation. I will give my presentation in English but will do my best to answer any questions you might have for me in French. I would like to echo Mr. Brouwer's congratulations to the government for the many salutary features of Bil