Statements of Canada – General Council meeting – December 16-17, 2024

UKRAINE/RUSSIA

• A month ago, we solemnly marked 1000 days since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
• Over two and a half years, Russia’s illegal war of aggression has seriously exacerbated strains on our global system.
• We recognize the immense suffering endured by the people of Ukraine—families torn apart, lives lost, and homes destroyed. Their pain is felt by all who cherish freedom and justice.
• President Putin started this war, and he could end this war today by withdrawing all Russian troops from Ukraine’s internationally recognized territory.
• Canada stands resolute in its commitment to support Ukraine.

FOR ACTION/DECISION

1. Committee on Budget, Finance and Administration ‒ Reports on Meetings of 30 September and 11 November (WT/BFA/222, WT/BFA/224)
2. WTO Pension Plan
   1. 2.1. Amendment to the Regulations (WT/GC/W/953)
   2. 2.2. WTO Pension Plan Management Board – Election of Members (WT/GC/W/954)

• Congratulations to you, chair, and to all of us for coming to agreement on this package of reforms.
• This is a positive sign: we can still achieve consensus on something, and I am glad that it was this very real issue affecting the hard-working members of the Secretariat.

3. Waivers under Article IX of the WTO Agreement
   1. 3.1. Introduction of Harmonized System 2002 Changes into WTO Schedules of Tariff Concessions – Draft Decision (G/C/W/849)
   2. 3.2. Introduction of Harmonized System 2007 Changes into WTO Schedules of Tariff Concessions – Draft Decision (G/C/W/850)
   3. 3.3. Introduction of Harmonized System 2012 Changes into WTO Schedules of Tariff Concessions – Draft Decision (G/C/W/851)
   4. 3.4. Introduction of Harmonized System 2017 Changes into WTO Schedules of Tariff Concessions – Draft Decision (G/C/W/852)
   5. 3.5. Introduction of Harmonized System 2022 Changes into WTO Schedules of Tariff Concessions – Draft Decision (G/C/W/853)
   6. 3.6. Kimberly Process Certification Scheme for Rough Diamonds – Request for an Extension of a WTO Waiver (G/C/W/854/Rev.2)
4. Review of WTO Activities
   1. 4.1. General Council (WT/GC/W/960), Dispute Settlement Body (WT/DSB/86) and Trade Policy Review Body (WT/TPR/525)
   2. 4.2. Sectoral Councils (G/L/1551, S/C/671 and IP/C/1022)
   3. 4.3. Committees on Trade and Development (WT/COMTD/104), Trade and Environment (WT/CTE/313), Balance-of-Payments Restrictions (WT/BOP/R/124), Budget, Finance and Administration (WT/BFA/223), and Regional Trade Agreements (WT/REG/35)
   4. 4.4. Working Groups on Trade, Debt and Finance (WT/WGTDF/23), and Trade and Transfer of Technology (WT/WGTTT/26)
   5. 4.5. Committees under the Plurilateral Trade Agreements (GPA/AR/7, WT/L/1205 – TCA/22)
5. International Trade Centre UNCTAD/WTO – Report of the Joint Advisory Group on its 58th Session (ITC/AG(LVIII)/296)
6. Date of the Fourteenth Session of the Ministerial Conference
7. [Formerly Fisheries Subsidies, now removed from agenda.]
8. Practical Steps to Enhance the Process for the Appointment of Officers to WTO Bodies (WT/GC/W/950/Rev.4)

• Thank you all. We are very pleased with the level of support we have received for this proposal. We have worked hard to come up with something that addresses your concerns and comments.
• Cosponsors are determined to take this good work forward. We will continue to refine our draft with intent to bring it back to General Council for decision.

9. Incorporation of the Investment Facilitation for Development Agreement into Annex 4 of the WTO Agreement – Draft Decision (WT/GC/W/927/Rev.2)

FOR DISCUSSION

10. Report by the Chairperson of the Trade Negotiations Committee and Report by the Director-General
11. Follow-Up to Outcomes of Ministerial Conferences: MC13 (Abu Dhabi); MC12 (Geneva, co-hosted by Kazakhstan); MC11 (Buenos Aires); MC10 (Nairobi) and MC9 (Bali) – Statement by the Chairperson
    1. 11.1. Work Programme on Electronic Commerce – Report by the Facilitator

• Thank you, Chair, for the report on follow-ups to outcomes of Ministerial Conferences.
• Canada would like to recognize the significance of the Committee on Agriculture concluding the third triennial review of the Ministerial Decision on Export Competition and delivering a streamlined export competition notification.
• Canada believes this outcome will ease Member reporting burden and, more importantly, improve transparency on an topic of importance for a wide range of Members. The improved transparency on export financing and international food aid that we hope to see with the introduction of this new notification format will be particularly valuable.
• Canada would like to thank and congratulate the Chair of the Committee on Agriculture, the Secretariat and all Members for this important accomplishment.

12. Dispute Settlement Reform – Statement by the Chairperson

• Thank you Mr. Chair for the report on Dispute Settlement Reform.
• We commend the Facilitator, Co-Convenors and Delegations for the intense work trying to find creative solutions for a reformed DS system.
• While we regret that the discussions held in the past two years have not delivered the outcome of a fully and well-functioning dispute settlement system accessible to all by the end of this year, there has been significant progress achieved following an inclusive, transparent and interest-based approach. We should ensure this progress is not lost and continues to be built upon.
• Canada remains committed to the objective of a binding dispute settlement system that allows for the correction of legal errors. This is of critical importance to ensure the stability and predictability of the multilateral trading environment.
• We support the Chair consulting the membership next year on the best path forward to continue the work.
• In the meantime, the MPIA, provides access to binding dispute settlement that includes the possibility of appeal in disputes. We invite all WTO Members to consider participating in this arrangement to ensure disputes can be fully resolved.

13. Work Programme on Small Economies – Report by the Chairperson of the Dedicated Session of the Committee on Trade and Development
14. Fisheries Negotiations
    1. 14.1.Analyzing the Impact of the Chair's Proposed OCOF Disciplines under the Additional Provisions on Fisheries Subsidies on the Sustainability of Global Marine Fish Stocks – Communication from India (WT/GC/W/945 – TN/RL/W/282 )
    2. 14.2.Communication on Fisheries Subsidies – Communication from India (WT/GC/W/946 – TN/RL/W/283)
    3. 14.3. Implementing Appropriate and Effective Special and Differential Treatment under the Additional Provisions on Fisheries Subsidies – Communication from India (WT/GC/W/947 – TN/RL/W/284)
    4. 14.4. Designing Disciplines for the Overcapacity and Overfishing Pillar: A Case for Intensity-Based Subsidies Approach – Communication from India (WT/GC/W/958 – TN/RL/W/286)

• Members have spent considerable resources, time and effort on advancing the negotiations and we are very disappointed with where we are today.
• Canada was amongst the large group of members that have said we were ready to have the text included for decision on the agenda at the December General Council as we thought it was possible to put the work in to get agreement today.
• I want to thank all those members across the WTO who have shown real commitment to meaningful engagement at MC13 and since, notably Ambassador Wilson of Barbados for his leadership in July and in the last weeks.
• With respect to next steps, it is important to find a new Chair as soon as possible and we hope that members will return after the holidays ready to find real solutions to fully achieve SDG 14.6 for the benefit of our global ocean resources, and for the countless livelihoods that depend on sustainable fisheries.
• We also appreciate the GC Chair’s comments at the TNC last week that he is ready to schedule a GC meeting as soon as possible for us to move us forward.  

15. The Development Assistance Aspects of Cotton – Statement by the Director-General
16. Unleashing Potential: WTO Contribution to SDGs – Leading Efforts in Advancing Development – Communication from Egypt (WT/GC/W/959)

• Canada thanks Egypt for submitting its communication about how to strengthen the measurement and reporting on WTO-related SDGs.
• There is, however, already a robust Global Indicator Framework (GIF) measurement mechanism established by the UN Statistical Commission.
• SDG indicators are monitored and evaluated by a and a with a comprehensive housed under the Statistics Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN-DESA).
• In that same vein, the communication also points out that the WTO regularly contributes and reports to the High-Level Political Forum on the SDGs that fall under its mandate.
• Should proponents wish to explore this issue further, perhaps the Secretariat and/or representatives from the High Level Political Forum (HLPF) could present at the CTD the work they have done over the past 9 years.

FOR INFORMATION

17. Review of Waivers pursuant to Article IX:4 of the WTO Agreement
    1. 17.1. Preferential Treatment in Favour of Services and Service Suppliers of Least Developed Countries, granted on 17 December 2011 until 31 December 2030 (WT/L/847, WT/L/982)
    2. 17.2. Preferential Tariff Treatment for Least-Developed Countries, granted on 16 October 2019 until 30 June 2029 (WT/L/1069)
    3. 17.3. Cuba – Article XV:6 – Extension of Waiver, granted on 23 November 2021 until 31 December 2026 (WT/L/1128, WT/L/1206)
    4. 17.4. United States – African Growth and Opportunity Act, granted on 30 November 2015 until 30 September 2025 (WT/L/970, WT/L/1201)
    5. 17.5. United States – Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act, granted on 16 October 2019 until 30 September 2025 (WT/L/1070, WT/L/1202)
    6. 17.6. United States – Former Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, granted on 7 December 2016 until 31 December 2026 (WT/L/1000, WT/L/1203)
    7. 17.7. United States – Trade Preferences Granted to Nepal, granted on 7 December 2016 until 31 December 2025 (WT/L/1001, WT/L/1204)
18. Annual Review of the Special Compulsory Licensing System – Paragraph 7 of the Annex to the Amended TRIPS Agreement and Paragraph 8 of the Decision on the Implementation of Paragraph 6 of the Doha Declaration on the TRIPS Agreement and Public Health (WT/L/540 and WT/L/540/Corr.1) – Report of the Council for TRIPS (IP/C/101)
19. Dialogue on Sustainable Agriculture in the Multilateral Trading System – Communication from Brazil (WT/GC/W/938)
20. G20 Principles on Trade and Sustainable Development – Communication from Brazil (WT/GC/268)
21. Appointment of Officers to WTO bodies – Announcement by the Chairperson pursuant to paragraph 7.1(a) of the Guidelines (WT/L/510)
22. Incorporation of the Agreement on Electronic Commerce into Annex 4 of the WTO Agreement – Communication from the Members Parties to the Agreement on Electronic Commerce (WT/GC/W/955)