International Trade committee  Let me take your last two questions together, Mr. Julian. As Mr. Rowlinson said earlier regarding the issue of improving labour standards, the problem hasn't really been the drafting of the legislation that countries in Central America have. There are a number of very good provi

International Trade committee  I'll begin briefly with the example of having consensus to release the draft text, which has been achieved today. Canada led vigorously at the effort in Quebec City among the various countries of North and South America--34 countries--and worked very hard to convince its partner

International Trade committee  That wouldn't exactly be the model. We wouldn't be enforcing our laws against the Government of Guatemala. We would all be agreeing to a standard that every country would meet, and when there was a violation of that standard.... Currently under the NAFTA model, the chapter 11 m

International Trade committee  I just want to add something briefly with respect to the utopian comment, because that stood out for me as well. There was a time when property rights were a utopian idea, and they have obviously since developed in the western world a much greater importance and enforceability.

International Trade committee  Well, that's always the position of the Canadian Association of Labour Lawyers. Is there an adequate model? In short, no. I pointed to the NAFTA itself as containing a very embryonic kind of labour right, which is an anti-replacement worker provision that would allow a country t

International Trade committee  On that particular issue we are on an international level, though perhaps not on a domestic level. We'll leave it to you good folks at the House of Commons to figure that one out for us. My friend also has something to say about this.

International Trade committee  I would agree that there is not a uniform code across Canada because of the jurisdictional divisions between sections 91 and 92 of our Constitution. However, labour law experts have noted that there is a core set of rights across this country with respect to how unions become cer

International Trade committee  There's always room for improvement.

International Trade committee  I should preface what I'm going to say, in light of what my colleague has said, by emphasizing that this set of suggestions should be viewed with the understanding that we do not actually have a draft text of the agreement. For this reason, we cannot review it and provide you wit