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Canada

Canada has signed free trade agreements with the US, the US-and-Mexico (NAFTA), Costa Rica, Chile, Israel, Colombia, Peru and EFTA. It has also concluded talks with Jordan.

The government has also signed an Economic Framework Agreement with Japan and about 25 bilateral investment treaties.

Ottawa is currently in bilateral trade deal talks, or in the process of considering them, with Korea, Singapore, India, the so-called "Central America Four" (El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua), the Dominican Republic, the Andean Community, CARICOM, Morocco and the EU (CETA).

last update: May 2012

Photo: Creative Commons CC0


Opposition opens up Central American trade deal
In an effort to ensure that the protection of labour and human rights are built into a free trade agreement being negotiated with four Central American countries, the Standing Committee on International Trade passed a resolution last week calling for the disclosure of all agreement draft texts and Canadian negotiating proposals.
Canada’s quiet free trade agreement
One of the agreements the Canadian government is trying to finalize is the Central America Four Free Trade Agreement (CA4TA) with Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Nicaragua.
Why the rush to ink more deals?
When asked why he would risk his life to climb Mount Everest, the British mountaineer George Mallory gave the classic reply: "Because it is there." When asked why they’re so anxious to sign new free-trade agreements, Canada’s trade bureaucrats have a similarly existential response: "Because we haven’t done one in a while."
Rough trade: the Canada-Chile Free Trade Agreement
The Canada-Chile Free Trade Agreement (CCFTA), signed 10 years ago, has some discouraging lessons to offer would-be bilateralists. And lesson No. 1 would be: Don’t expect such agreements to boost trade.
Canada examining its Foreign Investment Protection Treaty Program
Canada’s Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade is currently considering expanding the countries covered by its bilateral investment protection agreements. Potential future partners include a number of Caribbean and Latin American countries, as well as Pakistan, Vietnam, South Korea, Japan, Libya, Israel, and South Africa, among many others.
Canada still wants US-style treatment in Central American trade deal
A Canadian team travels to Guatemala to try to restart stalled trade agreement while Guatemala’s foreign minister shows up in Ottawa.
Thinking the unthinkable about Canada’s future
With the thorough integration of the Canadian and US economies through NAFTA, and a common military command and control structure, Canadian sovereignty will cease to exist by definition.
Dominican Republic may have ‘missed its opportunity’ to trade with Canada
Dominican ambassador in Canada said he hopes that his country can join a multilateral trade deal with Canada similar to the one it already has with the U.S., but he worries that the Dominican Republic may have missed its opportunity.
Lift the Veil of Secrecy on Stalled Central America Trade Deal, Demands Civil Society
The Tory government says a free trade agreement with Central America, on ice since 2004, will eventually be debated in the House. One academic doesn’t mind the delay, worrying the deal could be bad news for some nations, while industry officials worry Canadian firms may lose interest before the deal is reached. Once it’s done, Canada-Central American Free Trade Agreement will be debated in the House of Commons, Conservative MPs said last week, but there are no guarantees draft agreements will be available to civil society organizations or other third parties.
Dominican Republic Wants In On Trade Talks
Ambassador Eduardo Tejera hopes his country can join a multilateral trade deal with Canada similar to the one it already has with the U.S., but he worries that the Dominican Republic may have missed its opportunity.

    Links


  • Canada’s BITs and FTAs
    Canada’s bilateral investment treaties (Foreign Investment Protection and Promotions Acts) and free trade agreements
  • CUPE
    Canadian Union of Public Employees’s trade webpage
  • RQIC
    Le Réseau Québécois sur l’Intégration Continentale fait campagne contre les accords de libre-échange