Regional and Bilateral Initiatives
Canada - Singapore - Free Trade Agreement Negotiations
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Canada and Singapore announced on June 5th, 2000, that
the two countries would begin exploring the possibility of negotiating
a bilateral free trade agreement (See the News
Release of June 2000.) Canadian and Singaporean officials met
twice to discuss the possible scope of a prospective agreement,
and the Government of Canada launched a comprehensive domestic consultations
process. The Canadian and Singaporean Prime Ministers then announced
the launch of negotiations on October 21, 2001, on the margins of
the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in Shanghai, China. (See the
Canadian News
Release of October 2001).
The negotiations have covered a wide range of topics, including:
trade in goods, trade in services, financial services, investment,
government procurement, dispute settlement and competition policy.
Labour and environmental issues have been addressed in parallel
meetings in fulfilment of Canada's intention to pursue side agreements
with Singapore in these areas. In addition, bilateral cooperation
in promoting culture, small and medium enterprises, and science
and technology has been discussed.
Update on Negotiations
After the initial round of negotiations in Singapore during the week of the 21st of January 2002, Canadian and Singaporean officials met for two additional productive rounds that year -- in Ottawa between February 25th and March 1st, and again in Singapore from April 29th to May 3rd.
Three rounds of negotiations were held in 2003 - in Ottawa the
week of January 13th; in Singapore at the end of July/beginning
of August; and, again in Ottawa from September 29th to October 3rd.
No date has been set for future meetings.
Initial Environmental Assessment
In keeping with the Framework for Conducting Environmental Assessments
of Trade Negotiations, an initial environmental assessment (EA)
of the Canada-Singapore free trade negotiations was conducted to
help negotiators to better integrate environmental considerations
into the negotiating process. The Government conducted initial consultations
with the provinces and territories, as well as with the Sectoral
Advisory Groups on International Trade (SAGITs).
Contact point
If you have questions or comments about this initiative we would like to hear
from you. Please contact International Trade Canada at:
Regional Trade Policy Division (TBB)
Department of Foreign Affairs & International Trade
Lester B. Pearson Building
125 promenade Sussex Drive
Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0G2
Fax: 613-944-3489
E-mail : consultations@international.gc.ca
Other interesting links
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