Yes, there is a counsellor with the government, but I'm talking about the bill.
The counsellor process now probably needs to be further designed, but at least it's a remedial process. It's a mediated process in which both parties can come together to discuss the issue. It's a way to rectify a problem.
I don't see the bill as providing any opportunity to rectify a situation. A complaint is made. Either the company has been determined to be inconsistent or not inconsistent with a guideline or a CSR standard.
The point I want to make as well is that, given that it's elevated to a ministerial level, it will be used against those companies elsewhere. You had a witness from Argentina a couple of days ago. I looked at some of her submissions. She said that if this had been in effect when she was minister, she would have been able to use it.
Companies face very difficult situations in many countries. They have licences that could be subject to revocation or extinguishment. There's nothing better for some of these countries than saying you've been named—it's not even that you've been found to be inconsistent, but that you've been named—in a complaint. That can be used against Canadian interests, and it will be very damaging.
The point Mr. Raymond Chrétien makes is, in a situation in which a complain has been raised, how is our foreign affairs department able to work with those companies from that point forward? How can they help and collaborate and help them improve and possibly rectify the situation? These are very difficult situations; the companies take these very seriously. I think our foreign affairs department, instead of being there to help in a conciliatory manner and perhaps negotiate with the government or the communities and provide advice, would have to say, “Sorry, we can't touch this. You're subject to investigation.”