Canada and the World Trade Organization

The World Trade Organization (WTO) is the cornerstone of Canadian trade policy, providing a forum for advancing our relations with established and potential trading partners around the globe, including emerging markets and other developing countries. The WTO currently has 153 member countries, all of which are governed by its rules of trade. These rules are contained in a series of WTO agreements, which member countries have collectively negotiated, signed and ratified.

The WTO is essential to Canada's prosperity and is the best forum in which to build a more open, rules-based and equitable world trading system, where rules apply in the same way to all partners regardless of size or influence. Canada's participation in the WTO also reflects the objectives identified in Canada's Global Commerce Strategy, such as expanding Canadian access to global markets and networks, especially in priority markets, and strengthening Canada's international commercial network.