Canada and Unfair Trade Practices

WTO and Canada conference in Havana in 1948 adopted a complex charter for an international body to preside over issues of trade called the International Trade organization (ITO). U.S. Congress never signed the ITO charter so it was never ratified but GATT not requiring U.S. ratification continued to exist. By default GATT became the international body dealing with trade. GATT had three main objectives: To help trade flow as freely as possible, To achieve further liberalization gradually through negotiation, And to set up an impartial means of settling disputes.

For 47 years GATT helped establish a prosperous multilateral trading system. But by the 1980s an overhaul was due. The Uruguay Round brought about that overhaul. It was the largest trade negotiation ever. The Uruguay Round has produced the most fundamental reform of the world trading system since the establishment of the GATT in 1947. The establishment of the WTO in 1995 contributed to a necessary strengthening of the global trading system, with stronger procedures for settling disputes and a mechanism for reviewing countries' trade policies.

The November 2001 declaration of the Fourth Ministerial Conference of the WTO in Doha, Qatar, provides the mandate for negotiations on a range of subjects, and other work including issues concerning the implementation of the present agreements. Some of the major topics under negotiation are: 1.Agriculture (AGRI) 2.Services (SERV) 3.WTO rules on unfair trade practices: anti-dumping and subsidies (PRAC) The World Trade Organization (WTO) is the only global international organization dealing with the rules of trade between nations.

At its heart are the WTO agreements, negotiated and signed by the bulk of the world's trading nations and ratified in their parliaments.

The goal is to help producers of goods and services, exporters, and importers conduct their business." http://www.wto.org/english/thewto_e/whatis_e/whatis_e.htm After giving an introduction of the World trade organization the paper would like to answer some of the questions related to WTO and Canada, the questions are as follows: 1.Keeping in mind the interests of the country, Canada, what position Would Canada take on the topic areas on the following topic: (TOPIC #3: WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION (WTO) RULES ON UNFAIR TRADE PRACTICES: ANTI-DUMPING AND SUBSIDIES) The Commerce Department has reported the Bush administration is "still opposed to any weakening of World Trade Organization rules on antidumping and countervailing duty trade measures," and will not renegotiate the rules at the World Trade Organization's conference in Doha, Qatar.Faryar Shirzad, assistant secretary of commerce for import administration, said the Bush administration is opposed to the provision meant to clarify and improve WTO disciplines on the use of antidumping and countervailing duty measures.

Shirzad said, "we think it's premature, given the complexity of the Uruguay Round agreements in those areas, to launch negotiations." http://www.txfb.org/TexasAgriculture/2001/111601agricurrents.htm Canada should collect reports and evidences, which could prove that their trade and business is been affected by the unfair practices of.