Canada and the World Trade Organization (WTO)
The World Trade Organization helps create rules for trade between its 166 members. Canada is a strong proponent of the multilateral trading system, with the WTO at its core.
Overview
The World Trade Organization provides a common framework for conducting trade relations among its 166 Members.
Trade and development
Canada plays an important role in participating and contributing to various WTO-led initiatives to support developing and least-developed members.
Dispute settlement
Canada participates in many WTO disputes as a complainant, a respondent or a third party.
Multilateral negotiations
Trade negotiations are a key function of the WTO.
Joint Statement Initiatives
Learn about Canada’s participation in the WTO Joint Statement Initiatives.
Trade and environment
Learn more about Canada’s role in WTO Trade and Environmental Sustainability initiatives.
Ministerial conferences
The Ministerial Conferences are the highest decision-making body of the WTO.
Trade policy reviews
Surveillance of national trade policies is a fundamental activity conducted by the WTO.
Reform Agenda and the Ottawa Group
Canada is committed to its leadership role in finding solutions to modernize the institution and to the 21st-century challenges to the multilateral trading system.
Canada’s Notification Authority and Enquiry Point
Inquires and notifications about measures impacting Canada’s free trade agreements.
Contact us
If you have questions or comments, we would like to hear from you.
News
Official Government of Canada news releases, statements and media advisories related to the World Trade Organization.
Overview
The World Trade Organization (WTO), established in 1995, provides a common institutional framework for conducting trade relations, including:
- administering WTO trade agreements and providing a forum for negotiations of new rules among its Members
- administering the rules and procedures concerning the conduct of handling trade disputes between its Members
- facilitating the monitoring of Members’ trade policies to help ensure transparency and compliance with WTO trade agreements
- providing technical assistance and training to help developing country Members take full advantage of the multilateral trading system
The WTO has several councils and specialized committees, working groups and working parties dealing with agreements covering a wide range of trade-related issues.
Canada has been a member of the WTO since the organization’s establishment and is a strong proponent of an open, rules-based multilateral trading system. Creating opportunities for Canadian workers and businesses through WTO participation on a global scale is a central part of our trade policy.
Canada endorses the goal of universal membership in the WTO and participates in all negotiations of countries seeking to join the organization.
For more information, refer to:
- Canada and the WTO
- Canada’s statements at the WTO
- The Permanent Mission to the World Trade Organization in Geneva
Trade and development
Through participation in and contributions to various WTO-led initiatives, Canada plays an important role in supporting developing countries and least-developed countries (LDCs) in areas such as:
- sustainable economic growth
- poverty reduction
- food security
- environmental protection
Canada has been contributing to WTO-led initiatives since Aid for Trade launched in 2005, through instruments such as:
Dispute settlement
Canada is an active participant in many WTO disputes, including as a complainant, a respondent or a third party. Participation in WTO dispute settlements help ensure that other WTO Members comply with their obligations and that the interests of Canadian stakeholders are protected.
The WTO maintains a full list of all disputes between WTO Members (including Canada) and a repository of documents related to each case. The WTO Dispute settlement page provides specific information about how disputes are settled.
Canada and 18 other WTO Members established the Multi-Party Interim Appeal-Arbitration Arrangement (MPIA) to address the need to fill vacancies on the WTO’s Appellate Body. The MPIA became operational in May 2020 and there are now more than 50 participants, including frequent users of the WTO dispute settlement system. The purpose of the MPIA is to safeguard the binding and two-stage dispute settlement between MPIA-participating Members on an interim basis, while work continues amongst all WTO Members to resolve the Appellate Body impasse. The MPIA is open to all WTO Members.
Multilateral negotiations
Trade negotiations are a key function of the WTO. WTO Members have a standing mandate for multilateral negotiations under the Doha Development Agenda and can also pursue plurilateral negotiations whereby subsets of the full WTO membership interested in specific areas of liberalization participate. Current active multilateral negotiations include:
Joint Statement Initiatives
Joint Statement Initiatives (JSI) are plurilateral initiatives to advance the negotiating agenda of the WTO. Canada and a broad range of WTO Members participated in the following initiatives:
- Electronic Commerce
- Domestic Regulation
- Investment Facilitation for Development
- Micro, Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (MSMEs)
These initiatives present a concrete opportunity to strengthen WTO rules and revitalize the negotiating function of the WTO to benefit Canadian businesses. The Joint Statement Initiatives are open to any WTO Member wishing to participate. They have the potential to serve as building blocks for new 21st century rules agreed to by the full WTO membership.
Trade and environment
In 2020, Canada and like-minded WTO Members initiated ‘structured discussions’ to focus on trade and environmental sustainability within the WTO, leading to the creation of the Trade and Environmental Sustainability Structured Discussions (TESSD). The initiative, intended to complement the WTO’s multilateral efforts, including those of the Committee on Trade and Environment, provides a forum for members and stakeholders to engage on how trade can support environmental sustainability. Canada, in partnership with Costa Rica, co-convenes TESSD, and is joined by 77 members. Additionally, Canada participates in the Dialogue on Plastics Pollution and Environmentally Sustainable Plastics Trade (DPP), which explores how the WTO could reduce plastics pollution and promote more environmentally sustainable trade in plastics.
Ministerial conferences
The WTO Ministerial Conferences are the highest decision-making body of the WTO. It usually meets at least once every two years and is attended by the trade ministers of WTO Members. The Ministerial Conference can make decisions on any matters under any multilateral trade agreement.
Trade policy reviews
The WTO monitors national trade policies of its members, and Canada is an active participant. The objectives of a trade policy review (TPR) is to help the global trading system run smoothly by making members' trade policies more transparent through regular reviews. The frequency of each member’s review varies according to its share of world trade. Canada’s most recent review took place in June 2024.
The TPR process consists of 3 main stages:
- Reports: Before the TPR, both the WTO Secretariat and the government of the WTO Member under review release their reports which provide insightful information related to the Member’s economic environment, trade and investment regimes, and the Member’s strategic trade orientations and significant policy changes and initiatives that were carried out during the period under review.
- Advanced written questions: These two reports serve as the basis for all WTO members to submit written questions. The WTO Member under review is required to provide written responses to these questions before its Trade Policy Review Body (TPRB) appearance to ensure fruitful discussions.
- Trade Policy Review Body appearance: The WTO Member under review will appear at the WTO in Geneva to discuss formally its trade policy regime. All documents become public 30 days after this meeting.
Reform and the Ottawa Group
The WTO is at a crossroads and faces many challenges that are stressing the multilateral trading system. Canada is among the most active WTO Members working to reshape the organization to ensure its rules function effectively and the multilateral trading system stays stable, fair, open, and transparent for businesses and workers. For example, Canada created the Ottawa Group on WTO Reform, a small group of WTO members committed to strengthening the multilateral system. Canada will continue working with WTO Members in various configurations and across all levels of ambition on reform to make the WTO better able to respond to the challenges and opportunities of the current global trading context.
For more information, refer to the Ottawa Group and WTO reform page.
Contact us
If you have questions or comments about this initiative, please contact us:
Multilateral Trade Policy and Negotiations Division (TCW)
Global Affairs Canada
John G. Diefenbaker Building
111 Sussex Drive
Ottawa, Ontario K1N 1J1
Fax: 613-944-0757
Email: consultations@international.gc.ca
News
List of official Government of Canada press releases, ministerial statements and media advisories pertaining to the World Trade Organization.- Minister Sidhu deepens trade and investment relationships in the Indo-Pacific region
- World Trade Organization report praises Canada’s open and inclusive approach to trade and investment
- Minister Ng advances Canada’s trade priorities at 13th WTO Ministerial Conference in Abu Dhabi
- Minister Ng advances Canadian trade priorities with WTO partners
Related links
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