OTTAWA – The Canadian Trade Minister says she is disappointed with some of the protectionist measures advocated by the new Biden administration in Washington, but she is not discouraged in teaming up with her country’s largest trading partner to strengthen global financial institutions.
Mary Ng said this includes the repetition of the Buy American provisions in President Joe Biden’s massive new infrastructure bill, which creates more obstacles for foreign companies to bid on lucrative projects.
“We must always stand up for the best interests of Canadians. I was clear that we were disappointed with the protectionist elements of the infrastructure bill, ”Ng told The Canadian Press from Geneva where she was making her first visit to the COVID-19 pandemic at headquarters. of the World Trade Organization.
“We will continue to work with the United States on this. We must.”
Ng has taken up the torch of the Ottawa Group of a dozen countries that aims to strengthen and reform the battered and maligned WTO.
The Ottawa Group was trying to prevent a key WTO dispute settlement institution, known as the Appellate Body, from being crippled by the former US administration of Donald Trump, which had blocked the American appointment of new judges to the panel.
The Biden administration has yet to appoint new judges for the panel to function, a delay that has frustrated Canadian businesses. They are also frustrated with a proposed U.S. electric vehicle tax credit, a widely recognized violation of international trade rules, and have revived the Buy American provisions in the president’s new infrastructure bill.
Ng was in Geneva this week to prepare for an important WTO ministerial meeting scheduled for later this month.
US Trade Representative Katherine Tai, Ng’s US counterpart, will attend the meeting. Tai has expressed support for the WTO, but that has not translated into firm action to reinstate US appeals judges so that the institution dealing with foreign trade disputes can resolve them.
Ng held two face-to-face meetings with Tai this year. Reports from their two offices show that they have discussed a range of issues, including the WTO.
“I won’t speak for her,” Ng said, when asked if Tai had given any indication of movement on the matter.
“Canada is committed to finding this long-term solution with the Appellate Body.
Despite the irritants, Ng said she still sees plenty of room for cooperation with the United States and its continental partner, Mexico.
Biden, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador will convene the White House next week for their first Three Amigos summit in five years.
The trilateral discussion will focus on how to leverage the new North American trade deal that was struck under the Trump administration to make the continent more resilient to the economic shocks of the pandemic. This includes finding solutions to the supply chain bottleneck and highlighting the need to diversify from China.
Ng did some of the groundwork for the summit, having recently traveled to Washington and Mexico City for meetings with his political counterparts.
“North American competitiveness. How we fight together against climate change. How we are recovering from COVID-19 by creating well-paying jobs across North America. These are things that we have in common, and these are things that we also need to work on together, ”Ng said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published on November 12, 2021.
The Canadian Press
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