IISD Statement to the House of Commons Standing Committee on International Trade

The IISD advocates for a Canada-MERCOSUR free trade agreement that prioritizes the liberalization of environmental goods and services, the adoption of sustainability standards, and a shift in investment models from investor protection to investment facilitation. The statement emphasizes the need for transparency in negotiations and the integration of corporate social responsibility and investor accountability to protect communities and the environment.

• The IISD recommends that a Canada-MERCOSUR agreement include an ambitious environmental chapter to accelerate the liberalization of environmental goods and services (EGS), noting that the global EGS market was valued at US$ 866 billion per year and was forecasted to reach USD$1.9 trillion by 2020.
• The agreement should support sustainability standards, including eco-labels and corporate social responsibility (CSR) standards, covering sectors such as sustainable forestry, fisheries, agriculture, and mining operations.
• The IISD suggests that Canada adopt a model for investment cooperation and facilitation based on a 2014 Brazilian model used within MERCOSUR, which prioritizes dispute avoidance and state-state dispute settlement over adversarial investor-state dispute settlement.
• To enhance investor accountability, the IISD proposes integrating comprehensive investor responsibilities and ensuring that individuals and communities harmed by investment projects have access to justice in the home state courts of the investors.
• The statement calls for Global Affairs Canada to ensure transparency during negotiations by engaging with civil society organizations in addition to industry stakeholders.

APA

Vaughan, S. (2017). IISD Statement to the House of Commons Standing Committee on International Trade. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/articles/policy-analysis/iisd-statement-house-commons-standing-committee-international-trade

Chicago

Vaughan, Scott. IISD Statement to the House of Commons Standing Committee on International Trade. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2017. https://www.iisd.org/articles/policy-analysis/iisd-statement-house-commons-standing-committee-international-trade.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Vaughan |first1=Scott |title=IISD Statement to the House of Commons Standing Committee on International Trade |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=1 May 2017 |url=https://www.iisd.org/articles/policy-analysis/iisd-statement-house-commons-standing-committee-international-trade |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{vaughan2017iisd, author = {Vaughan, Scott}, title = {{IISD Statement to the House of Commons Standing Committee on International Trade}}, publisher = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2017}, month = may, url = {https://www.iisd.org/articles/policy-analysis/iisd-statement-house-commons-standing-committee-international-trade}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }