Canada to turn to bilateral agreements after WTO trade talks collapse
Canadian Press | 29 July 2008
Canada to turn to bilateral agreements after WTO trade talks collapse
OTTAWA - The federal government says it will aggressively go after bilateral trade deals with other countries after the collapse of nine days of talks on a comprehensive global trade agreement.
Trade Minister Michael Fortier and Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz say they’re"disappointed" the latest attempt to reach a compromise on agriculture import rules has failed.
The ministers says Canada will be at the table if and when talks resume, but suggested it may be some time before negotiations could take place at the ministerial level.
They said more consensus should be developed at the officials level before ministers are called back to the table.
Meanwhile, they say Canada needs to pursue bilateral agreements in the Americas and with emerging economies such as China and India to ensure the country’s trade goals are met.
