Question Period Note: 14th Canada-Colombia Annual Report on Human Rights and Free Trade

The 14th annual report reviews Canada’s actions under the Canada-Colombia Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act in 2024 and the impact of those actions on human rights in Canada and Colombia.

• Canada is committed to working with Colombia in its ongoing efforts toward peace implementation, strengthening democracy and rule of law, human rights, women's empowerment, rural development and inclusive economic growth.
• As in previous years, this year’s report found no link between actions taken by the Government of Canada in the context of the Canada-Colombia Free Trade Agreement and human rights concerns in Canada or Colombia.
• The report goes beyond its basic reporting requirements to include assessments of Colombia’s human rights context, details of Canada’s human rights support in Colombia, information on Canada’s tools to protect human rights and an overview of the Canada-Colombia trade relationship
• Following consultations with stakeholders including civil society in 2019, modifications to the report’s format, content and methodology were phased in between 2021 and 2023 (covering activities of 2020-2022). These modifications are also reflected in this year’s report.

This is Canada's 14th report pursuant to the Agreement Concerning Annual Reports on Human Rights and Free Trade between Canada and the Republic of Colombia. Similar to previous years, the report includes a review of actions taken by the Government of Canada between January 1 and December 31, 2024 in the context of the Canada-Colombia Free Trade Agreement (CCOFTA), the Agreement on Labour Cooperation between Canada and the Republic of Colombia and the Agreement on the Environment between Canada and the Republic of Colombia and an analysis of the impact of these actions on human rights in Canada and Colombia.

In accordance with the implementing legislation, section 15.1 of the Canada-Colombia Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act (Implementation Act), this report has retained its focus on the impacts of tariff reductions undertaken under the CCOFTA according to the Tariff Elimination Schedule of Canada. Only one tariff line remained to be liberalized under CCOFTA in 2024, refined sugar, which was fully eliminated on January 1, 2025. The report found no impacts on human rights that could be associated directly with Canada's 2024 tariff reductions.

As has been the case in every previous year, the 14th annual report is unable to demonstrate that any actions taken by the Government of Canada in 2024 through the implementation of the CCOFTA (i.e. tariff reductions related to the CCOFTA and actions taken under the Agreement on Labour Cooperation or the Environment Agreement) have had a direct impact on human rights in Canada or Colombia.

This report considers the impact of the Government of Canada's actions on human rights under the CCOFTA, the Agreement on Labour Cooperation and the Environment Agreement, including tariff reductions. Private sector activities are not within the scope of this report. As a follow-up to the consultations undertaken with domestic stakeholders in 2019, some modifications to the report's format, content and methodology were phased in over three years between 2021 and 2023 (covering activities of 2020-2022). These modifications are also reflected in this year's report

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