International Trade committee  Well, it's really—

International Trade committee  Yes, but I think in the early stages, certainly in the first few rounds, we'll be laying the groundwork. We'll be dealing with the easy issues, getting them out of the way and off the table, and as we gradually go on, we will focus in on those most difficult issues that will requ

International Trade committee  Well, that's the danger. If you have provisions that allow you to modernize or improve certain elements without having to start to unravel the whole agreement, then it can be done. In CETA, for example, we have a number of provisions that allow, or even require, us to revisit ce

International Trade committee  It is, and there does need to be a good relationship among the negotiators at the table. I have certainly met with both John Melle and Kenneth Smith Ramos on two occasions face to face, and have also spoken to them on the telephone a number of times so far. Clearly, this coming w

International Trade committee  In terms of the issues on which I think we should be able to move to common agreement, and win win win across the board fairly quickly, many relate to customs facilitation and improving the process at the border. The common complaint we and the U.S. have heard is that we do have

International Trade committee  First of all, we've had many discussions internally. We know what kind of objectives we're going to be pursuing in the negotiations. We have a political endorsement of those objectives, so we are very clear on what we're setting out to do this coming week. As to the deadline, I

International Trade committee  On labour—and I think the minister has said this clearly—we will be pursuing a fairly ambitious outcome. With respect to the ILO core conventions, we'll be promoting those. We will also be promoting fair labour practices across the three countries. We do have some concerns about

International Trade committee  There will be quite a bit of discussion on the energy chapter. The U.S. has indicated an interest. We have indicated an interest. I think the issue of the proportionality clause in particular will be something that we'll be discussing at the table without a doubt.

International Trade committee  Similar to the case with labour, the minister has also mentioned how we will be pursuing an ambitious agenda when it comes to the environment. We will be bringing the chapter into the agreement, and not only that but will also be looking at much more ambitious objectives on the e

International Trade committee  Certainly harmonization is a significant issue that we'll spend some time talking about. We don't really see issues like pre-clearance as harmonization. It's more a matter of coming up with common approaches to have a smooth process back and forth across the border. When it come

International Trade committee  I think in the case of NAFTA, we've heard some discussion, particularly from some commentators in the U.S. We don't think NAFTA has resulted in all of the losses that are sometimes claimed by some people. We think automation, advancements in technology, and globalization more bro

International Trade committee  It is our usual practice, once we finish negotiation, to provide explanatory documents to provide a more easy-to-follow explanation of what has been achieved in the agreement. So, yes.

International Trade committee  Without a doubt we will be looking for a fair and balanced outcome when it comes to government procurement. We have long expressed concerns about U.S. Buy American policies. We will be pursuing that in the negotiations and looking for improved access. If we are not going to be re

International Trade committee  I think in any negotiation you have to take account of what kind of negotiating partner you have. For a country like Canada, where we're often the smaller player in a negotiation—we were the smaller player in negotiations with the EU, and we're a smaller player in the negotiation

International Trade committee  It has been 23 years since NAFTA was negotiated. A lot has changed, and I think there will be a number of areas in the agreement that we will want to modernize and bring up to date where things have changed. Specific chapters will address some of those changes, such as those on t