A challenge for Canada and its partners Public consultations Summary report December 2017 Michèle Rioux and Sylvain Zini Project directors
In 2017, the Center for Studies on Integration and Globalization (CEIM) received funding from Employment and Social Development Canada in order to conduct a study entitled "Canada: Towards a Socially Responsible Trade Policy" (SRTP). The project aimed at three closely related objectives: research, training and education, and a public consultation. From May to July 2017, the CEIM research team conducted an online survey and prepared educational tools designed to inform Canadian civil society about the challenges in implementing a socially responsible trade policy, according to three main areas of discussion previously identified: 1. Social clauses in trade agreements 2. Social conditionality of the generalized system of preferences 3. Ban on imports of goods produced by forced labour or the worst forms of child labour A bilingual website, developed to facilitate the pan-canadian public consultation process (canadasocialementresponsable.uqam.ca), was designed following a multidimensional logic: host the online survey from August 15 to October 30, 2017, train and inform the public about the issues raised, and finally sustain Canadian trade policy research through the establishment of a pan-canadian network of experts. Various educational tools were also created: 14 thematic fact sheets, available on the website 6 video clips, projected during the public consultation sessions (each explaining one of the three defined areas of discussion, both in French and English) a summary book, intended for the general public and for academic training (to be published in 2018 in French and English) 2 Research Team Michèle Rioux Sylvain Zini Mathieu Arès Yann Breault Research Assistants Hughes Brisson Maud Boisnard Heysee Argelia Verdal Reyes Andrew Nader Christine Vaillancourt
Table of Contents Executive summary... 4 Recommendations... 5 Public consultation process... 6 Results (survey and panel discussions)... 7 Block 1 Social clauses in trade agreements... 7 Level of obligations in trade agreements... 8 Effective enforcement of social clauses in trade agreements... 9 An independent body for the link between trade and labour... 11 Civil society participation... 12 Balancing rights... 13 Block 2 - New measures in trade policy?... 14 The generalized system of preferences... 14 Banning the importation of goods produced by forced labour and the worst forms of child labour... 15 Conclusion... 17 Appendices... 19 3
Executive summary The globalization of the economy implies a growing internationalization of value chains, linked to the activity of Canadian companies and a proliferation of agreements negotiated by Canada on international trade and investment. From the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) to the most recent partnerships such as the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), many social actors (unions and NGOs) argue that the rules contained in these agreements are biased, favouring companies. It is in this context that some countries, like Canada, recognize the importance of developing and adopting a progressive trade policy. «[...] we are living in a very difficult time for global trade. [...] The result is tremendous opportunity for a lot of people, but also anxiety, confusion, fear of the new, and a very real economic fear of falling apart. [ ] And so what we really need to do is work on developing a trade policy which does trade for everybody.» Address by the Honourable Chrystia Freeland, International Trade Minister, Toronto (Ontario), June 17, 2016 The pan-canadian public consultation led by the CEIM (online survey and panel discussions in six cities across Canada) allowed for reflection and dialogue on the importance of this approach, both conceptual and practical. There is general agreement that Canada should ensure a greater policy coherence: all policies implemented by the government must reflect the values defended and shared by Canadians. Based on the results from the online survey and panel discussions, we make the following recommendations for a socially responsible Canadian trade policy. 4
Recommendations 1. Ensure that Canada's trading partners commit to respect social clauses. 2. Make an explicit reference to the International Labour Organization (ILO) s core Conventions in trade agreements in order to increase the level of obligation and commitment from the partner country. 3. Make social clauses in trade agreements more effective by strengthening cooperation and dispute settlement mechanisms. 4. Impose the monetary and trade sanctions adopted in the agreement, if deemed necessary. 5. Strengthen civil society participation all along the process (negotiation, implementation and monitoring of trade agreements) by creating a permanent forum open to members of civil society. 6. Ensure a balance between business rights and workers rights by specifying in the chapters on investment and public procurement that respect for workers' rights is fundamental and must be considered in the application of these chapters. 7. Create an independent body to address trade and investment issues impacting labour that would ensure the implementation of a socially responsible trade policy (mechanisms and social dialogue). 8. Condition access to Canada s Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) to the respect of workers' rights and implement a petition mechanism open to the public. 9. Ban the importation of goods produced by forced labour and the worst forms of child labour. 10. Develop legislation on due diligence to hold Canadian companies accountable for their own supply chains. 5
Public consultation process From August 1 to October 30, 2017, the CEIM launched an online survey and disseminated the information about the public consultation in order to consult citizens on the three areas addressed. The research team ensured that all stakeholders (union executives, NGO members, business representatives, government representatives, academics and specialized lawyers) were informed so that everyone across Canada had the opportunity to actively participate in the process by attending the panel discussions scheduled in six of the country s largest cities: Montreal (September 14) Ottawa (September 15) Edmonton (September 20) Vancouver (September 22) Toronto (October 3) Halifax (October 13) Media coverage of the online survey and panels in each of these cities was supported by a pan- Canadian press campaign, social media, institutional partners and via e-mail invitations followed by phone calls. Participation in the online survey shows 127 respondents. More than 580 people and / or institutions were personally contacted by the team, gathering a total of 142 panelists. We note the presence of 15 trade union representatives, 15 active NGO members, 5 members of the federal and / or provincial government, as well as 36 academics and / or specialized jurists. During these panels, the CEIM team provided educational information about the three areas addressed, facilitated the discussions and gathered participants' ideas on how to make Canadian trade policy socially responsible. The meetings also allowed for the creation of a pan-canadian group of experts to be launched in Montreal in February 2018. The online survey contained 8 questions in specific topics related to the three targeted areas of discussion and a section for additional comments. The panel discussions were conducted under the same logic. Divided in two blocks, the consultation focused on the following trade policy instruments: Block 1 - Social clauses in trade agreements Block 2 - New measures in trade policy? A. Social conditionality in the Generalized System of Preferences B. Banning the import of goods produced by forced labour or the worst forms of child labour. 6
Results (survey and panel discussions) Participants were unanimous in upholding respect for human rights, gender equality and fundamental workers rights. They also expressed that trade openness could serve as a lever to promote these values internationally and, at the same time, strengthen their respect at the national level. During the consultations, they spoke of the importance of: 1. promoting human rights and workers' rights at the international level; 2. conditioning the access to Canadian market to the respect for Canadian values; 3. making competition between Canadian workers and workers in countries with whom Canada negotiates trade agreements fair, making sure that competition does not result in a race to the bottom for labour standards. Block 1 Social clauses in trade agreements The majority of respondents are unsatisfied with the social clauses negotiated by Canada. Are you satisfied with thesocial clausesnegotiated by Canada up to now? No opinion 13,2% Very satisfied 2,3% Very unsatisfied 37,2% Somewhat satisfied 14,0% Somewhat unsatisfied 33,3% «Canada could use FTA to push its values» Hadrian Mertins-Kirkwood, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives Ottawa, 15 September 2017 71% of respondents are unsatisfied with social clauses negotiated in trade agreements. Panelists expressed their wish to see a rebalancing in trade agreements in order to place the rights and interests of workers at the center of the priorities: strengthening the level of obligations in social clauses, improving the agreement s implementation mechanism and ensuring greater civil society participation. Trade agreements could then be used to establish a social pact with trading partners and make a stronger statement on the fact that respect for human rights, more particularly workers' rights, is non-negotiable. Moreover, it was suggested that Canada should not sign trade agreements with countries that do not share Canadian values in this regard. 7
Level of obligations in trade agreements Since NAFTA, Canada has improved its level of obligation. It should continue to do so and adopt the social clause as a guiding principle in the enforcement of trade agreements, through a provision applicable to all chapters in the agreements. Two main elements emerge with regards to the level of obligations: establishment of clearly defined standards; the setting of goals in agreements in order to measure the impact of social clauses over time. 86% of respondents consider it to be a priority to make an explicit reference to the ILO s core Conventions in the text of labour chapters in trade agreements. Participants believe that Canada must ratify the fundamental ILO Conventions, which is indeed already done, and act to promote the ratification of the Conventions by its trading partners. 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% 0,8% In order to increase the level of obligations in trade agreements, should Canada negotiate for: (On a scale from 1 to 5, 1 being not important and 5 being a priority) 1 2 3 4 5 76,6% 68,0% 21,9% 14,1% 9,4% 7,8% 10,9% 10,2% 2,3% 5,5% 5,5% 4,7% 3,9% An explicit reference to ILO's fundamental Conventions? 58,6% An explicit mention of Measurable commitments and / the principle of gender equality? or enhanced cooperation on maternity-related rights and work-family balance (eg. parental leave)? «Most important priority is to improved implementation and access to effective remedy» A participant in the online survey 8
Effective enforcement of social clauses in trade agreements Participants want the social clauses to be more effective and consider it important to strengthen their implementation at the cooperative and punitive level: when Canada negotiates trade agreements with countries that do not respect workers' rights, it should agree on an action plan to rectify the situation. Panel discussions agreed on the fact that applying dissuasive sanctions should be seriously considered, including the possibility of suspending the privileges associated with the trade agreement. It was also mentioned that it would be important to subject disputes related to social clauses to the same dispute settlement mechanism as the other provisions of the agreement, making sure that decision-makers are experienced in the field of labour law. 88,6% consider it a priority to adopt stronger sanctions against countries that do not respect their commitments to respect workers' rights. Canada should do more to support its partner countries with a limited capacity to enforce their own labour laws: Establishing action plans in close collaboration with States whose labour laws -or their implementation- are deficient, before signature or before activating the dispute settlement mechanism; Setting up monitoring and follow-up mechanisms to assess the impact of the social clause on the improvement of workers' conditions; Provide for a binding mechanism requiring countries that are not seriously engaged in the implementation of workers' rights to change their practices. 79,7% of respondents consider it a priority to adopt action plans when a country fails to comply with its labour obligations. An initial step would be to establish progress grids for the respect of workers' rights (similar to tariff reductions) based on the commitments of each party: allowing for objectives to be measured (e.g.: union density, wages, etc.). «If the agreements provide for targets -numbers- in tariff reduction, then why don t they also provide measurable targets regarding the improvement of workers conditions?» John Calvert, Simon Fraser University Vancouver, 22 September 2017 9
100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% Regarding the implementation of labour chapters in trade agreements, do you think that Canada should: (On a scale from 1 to 5, 1 being not important and 5 being a priority) 1 2 3 4 5 48,4% 48,4% 50,0% 31,3% 25,8% 0,8% 5,5% 14,1% 14,8% 5,5% 29,7% 11,7% 4,7% 6,3% 3,1% Provide financial resources to help its partners enforce workers rights in their territories? Enforce states' capacity to initiate consultation and arbitration procedures directly (self-referral)? Condition trade privileges to a labour action plans if necessary? More transparency and visibility of the existing mechanisms was a recurrent topic during the consultation process: Participants agreed that much work still needs to be done to better inform the stakeholders, on both the functioning and even the mere existence of such mechanisms; Lightening the requirements for filing complaints was also an issue raised by several stakeholders, the mechanism is considered too demanding in human and financial resources. 82,8% of respondents consider it important, even a priority, to simplify the filing of complaints in order to strengthen civil society participation and make trade policy more democratic. 86,9% of respondents feel it is a priority to simplify the process of filing complaints regarding labour chapters in Canada's trade agreements. 10
An independent body for the link between trade and labour A strong demand for the creation of a government independent body to manage issues of labour rights in Canadian trade policy was noticed. The creation of such institution would also help create transnational solidarity links between the civil society and similar institutions in partner countries. 73% of respondents believe it is important to establish an independent national institution. Should Canada create an independent national institution to deal with complaints and communications submitted by civil society? (On a scale from 1 to 5, 1 being not important and 5 being a priority) 1 21,9% 2 50,8% 3 18,0% 4 3,1% 5 6,3% We recommend creating an independent, permanent Canadian institution to supervise the implementation of Canada's progressive trade policy: Investigate and conduct studies on the effectiveness of measures and policies adopted; Have the right of self-referral to investigate; Establish a permanent relationship with civil society by creating a civil society forum to develop and evaluate, on a regular basis, the mechanisms linking trade policy and workers' rights. A pan-canadian committee of experts could advise the bureau on best practices to ensure the advancement of workers rights in trade policies and the development of a truly progressive trade policy in Canada. It could also be mobilized to compile the existing instruments and evaluate the degree of respect for workers rights in trading partners. 11
Civil society participation Canada has a consultation mechanism when the government engages in new trade negotiations. However, most participants would like to see greater participation of civil society all along the process: negotiation, implementation and monitoring of trade agreements. 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% In order to strengthen civil society participation and make trade policy more democratic, should Canada: (On a scale from 1 to 5, 1 being not important and 5 being a priority) 1 2 3 4 5 44,5% 41,4% 30,5% 25,0% 68,0% 3,1% 4,7% 22,7% 3,9% 17,2% 17,2% 6,3% 4,7% 6,3% 4,7% Organize national civil Establish a civil society Increase transparency society consultations on a forum associated to the during the negotiation regular basis? agreement? process (eg. making the negotiation agenda and preparatory documents available to the public)? «A list of principles that would guide the Socially Responsible Trade Policy should be established. And Canadians themselves should decide what is the content of the list.» Anonynous - Edmonton, 20 September 2017 The involvement of civil society must be sustained and Canada should provide the means for building solidarity, both pan-canadian and transnational, between actors involved in the protection of workers' rights. The panelists suggested the following measures: Establishing a pan-canadian civil society forum to re-evaluate the principles and priorities of a socially responsible trade policy on a regular basis. The forum should include several stakeholders (federal and provincial government, trade unions, employers and NGOs). The CETA model is cited as an example; Informing civil society, as far as possible, about the negotiating objectives. Participants believe that a fair balance is possible. In Europe and the United States, part of the negotiation agendas is released; Establishing a list of principles and related measures based on a social dialogue to clarify what constitutes a socially responsible trade policy; Involving civil society in Canada s trading partners as much as possible. 85% of the respondents consider it a priority to increase the transparency of the trading negotiation process. 12
Balancing rights 90,6% of respondents believe that it is important, if not a priority, for Canada to explicitly state that the improvement of labour legislation cannot be considered a form of indirect expropriation under the chapters of investment in Canadian trade agreements. «Corporations gained rights from FTAs, so it would make sense to now impose obligations on them» Scott Sinclair, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives Halifax, 13 October 2017 According to the results coming out of the consultations, substantial changes are required in the arbitration procedures so that States cannot be pursued for adopting public policies to make their trade policy more socially responsible. 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% With regards to the inclusion of labour law provisions in other chapters, should Canada: (On a scale from 1 to 5, 1 being not important and 5 being a priority) 1 2 3 4 5 69,5% 74,2% 21,1% 3,9% 0,8% 0,0% 1,6% 7,0% 2,3% 19,5% Clarify that improvements in labour Consider the respect for workers' laws cannot be considered as a form rights as a criterion in the evaluation of expropriation under investment of bids for public contracts? chapters in trade agreements? 93,7% of respondents stated that it is a priority to specify in the chapters on public procurement that governments reserve their right to include the respect for workers rights as a criterion when evaluating public contracts. Canada should: Specify in investment chapters that any measure aimed at advancing workers' rights should not be considered as an indirect expropriation measure; Clarify that tendering procedures are a governments prerogative and should be protected. The tendering process should provide for the possibility of including social criteria in calls for tenders. Such statement should allow Canadian public bodies (federal, provincial, municipal and local) to use criteria respecting workers rights in their tendering process. 13
Block 2 - New measures in trade policy? The generalized system of preferences Participants supported the idea that access to the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) should be conditional on the respect of certain principles and values. To many of them, it would be a great way to set basic criteria for accessing the Canadian market without infringing on sovereignty of States. They noted that a conditioned access would help secure stronger commitment from less developed countries to respect workers' rights. Many of them were also concerned that such a measure could mean «punishing» the entire population of a partner country already in a capacity deficit to regulate private actors in its own territory. Participants find more value in measures punishing private actors directly: they do not reject the idea of a conditional GSP, as long as it takes into account this criticism. 85% of respondents surveyed consider a priority to condition the access to Canada s generalized system of preferences to the respect of workers rights, to establish investigative mechanisms and to introduce a complaints mechanism for the civil society to file complaints. «Canada could consider GSP as a reward for countries who improve their labour conditions. Those countries that don t would stay in the normal tariff system.» Robert Finbow, Dalhousie University A single mechanism -covering all recipient countries- must reflect that Canada's GSP is part of both Canada's development assistance and trade policy. Participants want Canada to be consistent on demanding respect for workers rights in both spheres. 100% 80% 60% With respect to access to its GSP, do you think that Canada should: (On a scale from 1 to 5, 1 being not important and 5 being a priority) 1 2 3 4 5 68,8% 65,6% 63,3% 40% 20% 0% 18,8% 21,1% 24,2% 0,8% 3,1% 2,3% 10,2% 6,3% 1,6% 3,9% 6,3% 3,9% Condition access to respect for Implement mechanisms to Establish a civil society workers' rights? investigate or monitor workers' complaints mechanism in case of rights? workers' rights violations? A list of rights that builds on ILO s fundamental rights and Canadian practices could also be included. Regarding the enforcement mechanism, it is recommended to assess on a regular basis the respect of workers' rights and to: 14
promote a cooperative approach by offering assistance (financial and logistic) to States that might lack the capacity but wish to remedy the violations having occurred in their territory; adopt action plans to help these countries improve their capacity to enforce workers' rights; set up a complaint mechanism accessible and open to the public that could be mobilized by citizens or civil society organizations in case they identify a breach of commitments. The majority of participants showed concern on ensuring that Canadian GSP would not become a way to limit less developed countries sovereignty when suggesting them to adopt legislation. Such systems aimed at cooperation with partner countries and they should take into consideration each country s specific context to avoid adopting a single model. Several participants cited the Bilateral Textile Agreement between the United States and Cambodia as a blueprint for action plans. Drafted in collaboration between the two States, it involved various stakeholders (employers, unions, government), experts agree that it has made an impact improving workers conditions. The punitive approach (total suspension of tariff reductions under the GSP) should therefore be reserved only for countries that systematically violate workers' rights. Banning the importation of goods produced by forced labour and the worst forms of child labour Participants expressed strong enthusiasm to Canada using its sovereign territory to establish conditions prior to the entry of goods to the Canadian market, by adopting national legislation explicitly referring to the use of these forms of exploitation as contravening Canadian values and public morality. 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% Should Canada adopt measures prohibiting the import of goods produced by: (On a scale from 1 to 5, 1 being totally disagree et 5 being totally agree) 1 2 3 4 5 89,1% 91,4% 3,9% 2,3% 3,1% 0,0% 7,0% 0,0% 1,6% 1,6% Forced labour? The worst forms of child labour? 96,1% of respondents consider it urgent for Canada to ban the importation of goods produced by forced labour, the highest rate of survey s responses. 15
Banning the import of goods produced by forced labour and the worst forms of child labour is quasiunanimously viewed as the most effective way to hold importers of products into Canada accountable. Participants to the panels agreed on the rejection of such practices as a fundamental value of Canadian society that must be defended. Banning the importation of certain products on the grounds of contravening public morals is a principle justifiable and accepted by international law. Canadian legislation prohibiting the importation of goods produced by prisoners could be extended to products where forced labour or the worst forms of child labour were involved. While some supported the use of the ILO's open definition, the majority preferred using the term «modern slavery», when referring to all these practices, based on a historical notion - slavery - and emphasize that it applies to new forms today. It was deemed necessary to adopt deterrent sanctions and some participants suggested the imposition of rather severe sanctions for first-time offenders as a mean of warning and more severe sanctions for recurrent offenders. Other participants suggest that sanctions - especially for recurrent offenders - could adopt the notion of «chain of command» to determine the criminal liability of individuals, in addition to the monetary sanctions imposed on the firm held responsible. Its implementation could be based on a testing system for goods imported to Canada: annually, a defined number of products imported, representing all market sectors, would be selected by the institution in charge of conducting self-referral investigations or by complaints coming from civil society. Moreover, Canada may consider creating a fund, from monetary fines imposed for the non-respect of workers rights, to finance the investigations and draw up a Canadian list of products (and their country of origin) suspected of being produced by forced labour or the worst forms of child labour 1. «You need both the carrot and the stick to change corporations practices» Paul Kellogg, Athabasca University Edmonton, 20 September 2017 Several people spoke of the fact that adopting legislation on due diligence would complement the ban. By adding to the ban (punitive approach) legislation requiring due diligence (preventive approach), companies would be obliged to annually disclose the steps taken to ensure that their supply chains are free from forced labour or the worst forms of child labour. In the case that forced labour is found, they should provide information on the steps taken to solve the problem. The proposal is inspired by food labelling requirements and how they have changed the way consumers and business behave. To avoid contradictions between the two approaches, companies that denounce the presence of forced labour in their own supply chain and disclose it could be temporarily pardoned of the sanctions that might otherwise have been imposed on them, as long as they demonstrate that they are taking measures to remedy the situation. It could also be considered to progressively extend this legislation to cover all of the fundamental rights at work. 1 Inspired on the lists maintained by the US federal authorities, the Bureau of International Labor Affairs («List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor» and «List of Products Produced by Forced or Indented Labor») and the State Department's Office to Monitor and Combat Human Trafficking of Persons («Responsible Sourcing Tool»). 16
Conclusion The dignity of workers, in Canada and abroad, should be regarded as one of the main objectives in the development of Canadian trade policy to allow this trade openness to work effectively towards an improvement in the living conditions of workers, Canadian and foreigners. Several participants agreed on the fact that current conditions are favourable for a shift in the paradigm: they expressed the necessity of a continued commitment from Canada in this regard. Results from the pan-canadian public consultation identified ten recommendations: 1. Ensure that Canada's trading partners commit to respect social clauses. 2. Make an explicit reference to International Labour Organization (ILO) s core Conventions in trade agreements in order to increase the level of obligation and commitment from the partner countries. 3. Make social clauses in trade agreements more effective by strengthening cooperation and dispute settlement mechanisms. 4. Impose the monetary and trade sanctions adopted in trade agreements, if deemed necessary. 5. Strengthen civil society participation at all stages in the process, by creating a permanent forum open to members of civil society. 6. Ensure a balance between business rights and workers rights by mentioning in the chapters of investment and public procurement, that the respect for workers rights is fundamental and must be considered in the application of these chapters. 7. Create an independent institution dedicated to address trade and investment issues affecting work, ensuring the application of a socially responsible trade policy (mechanisms and social dialogue). 8. Condition access to Canada s Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) to the respect of workers rights and implement a petition mechanism open to the public. 9. Ban the import of goods produced by forced labour and the worst forms of child labour. 10. Develop legislation on due diligence to hold Canadian companies accountable for their own supply chains. Our online consultation asked participants about the degree of priority in the measures surveyed. The largest percentage of first choice favoured the increase in the level of obligations under the labour chapters followed by banning the importation of goods produced by forced labour and the worst forms of child labour. 17
Condition access of Canadian GSP to respect for workers' rights 3,9% Include labour law provisions in other chapters of trade agreements 10,2% Strengthen civil society participation in Canadian trade policy 10,2% Which of the questions in this survey do you consider to be a priority? Choice #1 Improve the implementation of labour chapters in trade agreement 10,2% Prohibit imports of goods produced by forced labour and/or the worst forms of child labour 31,3% Increase the level of obligations linked to labour chapters 34,4% «The priority is everything» Scott Sinclair, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives Halifax, 13 October 2017 This public consultation also showed that Canada should ensure greater policy coherence at both national and international levels. The respect for workers' rights should be a cross-cutting condition in all trade agreements negotiated. Moreover, the government should defend the same principles in trade negotiations and in international cooperation, at international organizations like the World Bank or the International Monetary Fund. Some participants also highlighted the fact that Canada sometimes requires from less developed countries to take contradictory measures: on the one hand, the adoption of austerity measures in some forums and, on the other, to respect workers' rights in order to access its market. Many participants feel it is a shame that some Canadian companies operating abroad adopt certain practices that would be considered illegal in Canada. From the measures proposed to ensure this coherence, we note: 18 establish a list of principles in labour rights that will guide the actions taken by the different departments in their actions on the international scene; ensure a better communication and coordination between the different departments with regards to workers rights; take action against Canadian companies that do not respect workers' rights abroad. It is difficult to establish a legal and political common ground. The work of the International Labour Organization in this regard is essential, however, Canada should engage in an international discussion to make sense of the concept of «progressive trade policy». Recommendations outlined in this report represent a mere foundation of minimum requirements for a socially responsible trade policy. Thus, it could be extended to be in line with the evolution of social dialogue and the progress of institutions working in these issues.
Appendices Thematic fact sheets Results from the online survey Summary of discussion panels 19