Trade in Goods
Technical Barriers to Trade
Canada Applauds WTO Ruling on Genetically Modified Organism
Imports
News
Release - November 22, 2006
Successive rounds of multilateral trade negotiations at the World Trade Organization
(WTO), and the negotiation of numerous bilateral and regional trade
arrangements have led to a substantial reduction in global tariffs.
As tariffs have decreased, there has been increased focus on ensuring
non-tariff measures or policies, including technical regulations
and standards, do not restrict or distort international trade.
Governments use technical regulations and standards to achieve
a range of policy goals, such as ensuring the health and safety
of their citizens, protection of the environment, and consumer protection.
While the vast majority of technical regulations and standards are
designed to achieve non-trade related objectives, they can also
have the unintended effect of restricting or distorting trade. Furthermore,
as the use of tariffs as a trade-policy tool has diminished, there
can, at times, be an increased incentive for governments to use
regulations and standards as an alternative, and less transparent
means of restricting the entry of foreign products.
Through its participation in the World Trade Organization (WTO),
the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and ongoing bilateral
free trade negotiations, Canada is promoting the adoption of and
compliance with, rules and procedures related to technical regulations
and standards.
The WTO Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT Agreement)
is aimed at ensuring that technical regulations, standards, testing
and certification procedures do not create unnecessary obstacles
to trade. The WTO Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary
Measures (SPS Agreement) imposes disciplines on measures aimed at
ensuring food safety, and animal and plant health. Important principles
of these agreements include transparency, the use of international
standards, proportionality (measures should not be more trade-restrictive
than necessary), and equivalency (countries should accept each others
standards, where they offer an equivalent level of protection).
Similar rules are found in the NAFTA.
Canada’s international trade agreements preserve the right
of Canada and its trading partners to regulate in order to meet
legitimate objectives, such as human health and safety, or environmental
protection. At the same time, they impose rules that aimed at ensuring
that technical regulations and standards do not unnecessarily restrict
international trade. Having strong international rules relating
to technical regulations and standards provides Canadian exporters
with more secure, predictable access to foreign markets for their
products. It also helps business and consumers, by ensuring that
technical regulations and standards do not add unnecessary costs
to internationally traded products.
Standards and Technical Barriers to Trade
Standards
Technical Barriers to Trade
Report a Trade or Investment
Barrier
If you have experienced a trade or investment barrier when trying
to do business abroad please tell us about it by e-mailing
us.
Contact Point
If you have questions or comments about technical barriers to
trade and regulations, we would like to hear from you. Please contact
Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada at:
Technical Barriers and Regulations (TBT)
Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada
Lester B. Pearson Building
125 promenade Sussex Drive
Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0G2
Fax: 613-944-0756
E-mail : consultations@international.gc.ca
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