The Canadian government has insisted the contentious investor resolution mechanism of its trade agreement with the EU will not have a âchilling effectâ on European governments including Ireland when drafting environmental, public health or labour laws. Senior Canadian diplomats based in Dublin and Brussels, as well as the Ireland Canada Business Association, spoke at a virtual meeting of the Oireachtas committee on European on Tuesday. It is scrutinising the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (Ceta) between the EU and Canada, ahead of a ratification vote in the Dáil. The agreement had been due to be ratified in December 2020 but was pulled back after several Green TDs threatened to vote against it. Since then it has been the subject of prolonged internal debate within the Greens, which has been a factor in the deep divisions that have emerged in the Government party. One of its TDs, Patrick Costello, has initiated High Court proceedings in relation to the constitutional standing of Ceta.