November 22, 2005 (1:00 p.m. EST)
No. 229

MINISTER PETERSON MEETS PROVINCIAL COUNTERPARTS TO DISCUSS WTO DOHA DEVELOPMENT TALKS

International Trade Minister Jim Peterson and provincial trade ministers and officials met in Ottawa today to discuss the current round of World Trade Organization (WTO) negotiations, also known as the Doha Development Agenda. The meeting was a continuation of ongoing consultations in preparation for the sixth WTO Ministerial Conference in Hong Kong, December 13 to 18, 2005.

“The provinces and territories have been important partners in developing Canada’s negotiating positions,” said Minister Peterson. “Our meeting today ensured that they had a further opportunity to inform our approach in advance of the Hong Kong Conference.”

Minister Peterson provided an overview of the current WTO talks and outlined Canada’s contributions to the negotiations, including recent meetings held in Zurich and Geneva. Ministers had a valuable exchange on ways to strategically advance Canadian negotiating positions in support of an ambitious and successful completion of the Doha Development Agenda.

“Ministers are united in their commitment to the Doha Development Round and the trade talks,” said the Minister. “Together we will advance Canada’s interests at the Conference.”

Canadian prosperity depends on improved market access and subsidy reductions. Canada is pushing hard for an environment that will allow Canadians to compete fairly and equitably in global markets.

“It is possible to have an ambitious outcome at Hong Kong across all sectors, while maintaining the right of Canadian producers to use orderly marketing systems, such as supply management and the Canadian Wheat Board,” added the Minister.

World trade is vital to Canada’s continued prosperity and quality of life. Trade is equivalent in value to as much as 70 percent of our gross domestic product and one in five jobs are linked to international commerce. In the negotiations, Canada is seeking better market access for agriculture and for industrial goods and services; a level playing field for agriculture; improved trade rules; and deeper integration of developing countries into the global economy. Canada is working hard to achieve an outcome that will provide the best possible results benefit exporters, importers, investors and consumers.

Minister Peterson also outlined the key elements of CAN-Trade to his counterparts and encouraged their active participation in the government-wide initiative. Proposed in the November 14th Economic and Fiscal Update, CAN-Trade is a $470 million action plan to provide Canadian communities and businesses—particularly small and medium sized enterprises—with the 21st-century knowledge, tools and market support they need to succeed in today’s global marketplace.

Ministers also discussed the importance of trade agreements and the need to respect NAFTA.

Ten provinces were represented at the ministerial meeting by six trade ministers from British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, and senior officials from Saskatchewan, Manitoba, New Brunswick, and Newfoundland and Labrador.

The following ministers were present at the meeting: Colin Hansen,

British Columbia Minister of Economic Development; Edward Stelmach, Alberta Minister of International and Intergovernmental Relations; Joseph Cordiano, Ontario Minister of Economic Development and Trade; Claude Béchard, Quebec Minister of Economic Development, Innovation and Export Trade; Ernest L. Fage, Nova Scotia Minister of Economic Development; and Kevin J. MacAdam, PEI Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Aquaculture.

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For further information, media representatives may contact:

Jacqueline LaRocque
Director of Communications
Office of the Minister of International Trade
(613) 992-7332

Media Relations Office
International Trade Canada
(613) 995-1874
http://www.international.gc.ca