Public consultations: Call for submissions regarding Canada’s Annual Report on Human Rights and Free Trade Between Canada and the Republic of Colombia

Canada's 13^th annual report pursuant to the Agreement Concerning Annual Reports on Human Rights and Free Trade Between Canada and the Republic of Colombia (the Agreement) includes a review of actions taken between January 1 and December 31, 2023 by the Government of Canada in the context of the Canada-Colombia Free Trade Agreement (CCOFTA), the Agreement on Labour Cooperation between Canada and the Republic of Colombia (Agreement on Labour Cooperation), and the Agreement on the Environment between Canada and the Republic of Colombia (Environment Agreement), and an analysis of the impact of these actions on human rights in Canada and the Republic of Colombia.

On February 12, 2024, the Government of Canada launched a public consultation process seeking written submissions in English, French, or Spanish on the impact of actions taken under the Canada-Colombia Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act for the Government of Canada’s 13^th  annual report.

The public call for submissions was posted online on the Global Affairs Canada website and the Consultations of Other Types of Agreements and Initiatives page for a period of 4 weeks. The public consultation was also promoted via social media through the official Canada Trade channels (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn), as well as the official channels of the Embassy of Canada to Colombia (Twitter and Facebook). Key stakeholders were also notified directly of the public call for submissions through e-mail.

Who was the focus of this consultation

The focus of the consultation included:

• the general public;
• civil society organizations;
• academia;
• Indigenous groups;
• national and provincial industry associations;
• micro, small, medium and large enterprises;
• national, provincial, territorial and regional associations;
• other interested stakeholders.

Key themes discussed

The Government of Canada sought input on the following key themes:

• concerns related to actions taken and their impacts on human rights and the implementation of the CCOFTA in 2023
• the impacts of tariff reductions undertaken under the CCOFTA according to the Tariff Elimination Schedule of Canada
• written feedback regarding the adjustments that have been made to the format, content and methodology of Canada’s annual reports

What we heard

The Government of Canada received no written submissions following this public consultation process. The feedback received from eight provinces indicated that there were no comments nor expressions of concern.

The Government of Canada welcomes comments or concerns from the public related to the above key themes at any time, whether or not there is an official consultation process underway.

Final report

• Canada's 13^th Annual Report on Human Rights and Trade

Related information

• Canada-Colombia Free Trade Agreement
• Agreement Concerning Annual Reports on Human Rights and Free Trade Between Canada and the Republic of Colombia
• Agreement on Labour Cooperation between Canada and the Republic of Colombia
• Agreement on the Environment between Canada and the Republic of Colombia
• Canada-Colombia Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act