Canada's Free Trade Agreement and Bilateral Investment Treaty Activity In 2008

Canadian treaty negotiators were very busy in 2008, following

the negotiation of several free trade agreements (FTAs) and

bilateral investment treaties (BITs) in 2007, and in keeping with

Advantage Canada: Building a Strong Economy for

Canadians, an economic plan released by the Canadian

government in November 2006. The plan calls for the government to

"develop a new approach to international trade policy through

a comprehensive Global Commerce Strategy1 to ensure that

Canadian businesses can fully participate in global market

opportunities."

Today, regional and bilateral FTAs and BITs ― as well

as multilateral agreements such as those of the World Trade

Organization (WTO), are more relevant than ever before to companies

doing business internationally. As the world's economies

struggle with what may be a protracted downturn, governments will

be tempted to employ protectionist trade and subsidization measures

in...

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