February 19, 1998 No. 36

FINAL COMMUNIQUÉ

FEDERAL, PROVINCIAL MINISTERS RESPONSIBLE FOR INTERNATIONAL TRADE

Under the Chairmanship of the Minister for International Trade, Sergio Marchi, federal and provincial ministers responsible for international trade met in Ottawa on February 19, 1998, to address issues of common interest in international trade, investment, and business development with a view to job creation and economic growth.

Affirming their commitment to obtaining secure and enhanced access for Canadian goods and services providers abroad, Ministers agreed to intensify their joint efforts in pursuing Canadian priorities in current and forthcoming negotiations in the World Trade Organization, particularly in respect of the agriculture and agri-food sector, and, regionally, in the Americas, Europe and Asia-Pacific.

Ministers reviewed in detail issues and recent developments concerning the proposed Multilateral Agreement on Investment.

Noting that negotiations will not conclude this April and will continue for a significant period of time, they agreed on the desirability of public consultations to defend key interests in such areas as labour, the environment, health and other social services, natural resources, culture, expropriation, and extraterritoriality.

Ministers shared their experience in international business development, including through Team Canada missions, and discussed how best to build on their success to date. They agreed that an expanded "Team Canada Inc" network, including simplified access to exporter services and improved co-ordination of trade missions, is one means to ensure that the federal-provincial-territorial partnership better contributes to economic growth throughout the country. They agreed to establish a federal-provincial-territorial task force to examine and report within six months on how better to co-ordinate federal, provincial, and territorial initiatives on trade and investment promotion, as well as trade missions.

Ministers also agreed that foreign investment into Canada is important to job creation and economic growth, and that Canada offers a highly competitive and attractive environment. They agreed to strengthen their co-operation in investment attraction to promote the country aggressively in key markets and sectors, and in continuing to improve the investment climate at home.

Ministers explored ways and means to improve federal-provincial-territorial co-operation on trade policy and international business development matters, and agreed that officials should continue their work in this regard. They agreed that early and ongoing political engagement by governments is essential. To this end, they agreed to meet again within a year and, thereafter, on a regular basis and as needed.

Participants expressed their thanks to Minister Marchi for having taken the initiative to convene this meeting, as had been suggested by Premiers at their last annual conference.

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For further information, media representatives may contact:

Leslie Swartman

Office of the Minister for International Trade

(613) 992-7332

Media Relations Office

Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade

(613) 995-1874

This document is also available on the Department's Internet site: http://www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca