Improving Access for Trade in Goods

Canada's growth and prosperity depend on open world markets and a stable, predictable and transparent trading environment. Because of this, the Government of Canada aggressively pursues improved market access for goods through negotiations at the multilateral, bilateral and regional levels.

In the non-agricultural market access negotiations under way at the World Trade Organization (WTO), for example, the government is seeking the elimination or significant reduction of tariffs. In agriculture, the government continues to press for a more level international playing field, in particular, the elimination of export subsidies, substantial reductions in trade-distorting domestic support and real market access improvements. In addition, in pushing for the development of common rules of origin, Canada's objective is to establish rules that provide transparency and certainty and reflect the global nature of supply chains.

Another priority for Canada at the WTO is to secure strong, binding rules on trade facilitation to maximize transparency and streamline customs procedures.

As well as seeking improved and clarified rules on trade remedies in the current WTO negotiations, the government also monitors the trade remedy laws and practices of Canada's key trading partners and intervenes where appropriate. Such interventions address policies or practices that could hurt Canadian exporters in trade remedy cases. The government provides Canadian exporters involved in trade remedy investigations with information and advice.

Canada is also pursuing improved market access for trade in goods on a bilateral basis, including through ongoing bilateral and regional free trade negotiations (see Chapter 4, "Regional and Bilateral Free Trade Agreements and Other Initiatives"). As well as strengthening market access for Canadian goods in a variety of foreign markets by eliminating tariffs, free trade negotiations also provide an opportunity to address non-tariff barriers-particularly in the area of standards-that affect various sectors, including the automotive sector. In ongoing and future trade negotiations, Canada will aim for high-level agreements that enhance Canadian economic prosperity by eliminating tariffs on all non-agricultural and a range of agricultural goods, and by effectively addressing any non-tariff barriers confronting Canadian companies.