FAIT Committee Report

Recommendation 1:

Given the importance of the question of the enforceability of obligations in the fields of human rights, labour standards, the environment and the protection of cultural diversity, and the lack of agreement as to whether they may best be enforced through inclusion in trade agreements or by other means, the Committee recommends that the Government of Canada study the question of how these obligations may best be enforced, and table its findings with the Committee by April 2002.

Recommendation 2:

Given the importance to the Inter-American human rights system of the American Convention on Human Rights, the Committee recommends that the Government of Canada investigate mechanisms, such as a Memorandum of Understanding or a reservation, to allow it to ratify the Convention in the near future.

Recommendation 3:

The Committee recommends that the Government of Canada continue to increase transparency and cooperation with civil society, by:

• releasing its written submissions to trade negotiations whenever possible and arguing for its partners to do likewise;

• arguing for the release whenever possible of draft negotiating texts;

• continuing to support such expressions of civil society action as the Peoples Summit; and

• encouraging future hosts of the Summits of the Americas to follow the practices of transparency and engagement pioneered by Canada in Quebec, including the Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) Summit consultation.

Recommendation 4:

The Committee recommends that, in order to ensure that Canadians are able to follow the continuing debate over the integration of the Americas, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Minister of International Trade appear before the Committee on at least an annual basis to discuss issues related to progress on the hemispheric cooperation agenda, including the FTAA.

Recommendation 5:

The Committee recommends that the Government of Canada actively support the role of the Inter-Parliamentary Forum of the Americas (FIPA), as referred to in the Plan of Action, and take all necessary steps to ensure that parliamentary consultation and engagement on these issues is deepened.