TORONTO, Canada, December 14, 2015/APO (African Press Organization)/ —
The Honourable Chrystia Freeland, Minister of International Trade, today announced that she will attend the World Trade Organization’s 10th Ministerial Conference (MC10) in Nairobi, Kenya, from December 15 to 18.
MC10 provides an opportunity for Canada to reaffirm its commitment to the World Trade Organization (WTO) and highlight the benefits of the multilateral trading system as a means to achieving Canada’s trade and investment objectives. Minister Freeland will also meet with her counterparts to discuss opportunities to expand Canada’s trade and investment.
The WTO is a rules-based, member-driven international organization, which deals with the rules of trade between its 162 members.
The WTO also plays an important role in international dispute resolution, as the leading decision body on trade disputes. Last week, the WTO ruled that U.S. country of origin labelling (COOL) requirements harm Canadian beef and pork producers. Canada continues to call on the U.S. Senate to join the U.S. House of Representatives by repealing COOL, in order to avoid retaliatory measures.
Quotes
“Canada is a trading nation that benefits from an open, transparent and rules-based multilateral trading system. By working with our WTO partners to improve global trade rules, we will open up new markets for Canadians.”
– Chrystia Freeland, Minister of International Trade
Quick facts
The WTO is an international intergovernmental organization dealing with the formulation and implementation of international trade rules. It is also responsible for the monitoring and surveillance of individual members’ trade policy regimes to ensure transparency and consistency with the rules.
The business of the WTO is guided by the Ministerial Conference, held every two years, which is the highest decision-making body of the organization.
Trade is equivalent to 65 percent of Canada’s annual gross domestic product (GDP), with one in five Canadian jobs linked directly to exports.
