WT/MIN(17)/ST/15  
 
13 December 2017  
(17-6891) Page: 1/2 
Ministerial Conference  
Eleventh Session  
Buenos Aires, 10 -13 December 2017  Original: English  
 
 
STATEMENT BY H.E. MR  FRANÇOIS -PHILIPPE CHAMPAGNE  
MINISTER OF INTERNAT IONAL TRADE  
CANADA  
Let me begin my remarks by extending my appreciation to our colleagues in Argentina for their 
great work in hosting this conference – the very first time that a South American country has done 
so. Congratulations for a great job! Our Conference Chair, Susa n Malcorra’s leadership has helped 
us focus our efforts.  
 
This Ministerial Conference marks the culmination of a busy period since MC10.  Together, we’ve 
brought into force the Agreement on Trade Facilitation. We’ve agreed to implement an Amendment 
to the Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) Agreement. Also since MC10, 
we have seen new accessions to the organization and an expansion of members in WTO 
plurilateral agreements.  
 
These accomplishments must be followed by clear and cred ible next steps as we move forward.  
The time is now to make trade more inclusive – we need to remind ourselves that trade and 
investment are first and foremost about making people’s lives better. This is the raison -d’être of 
the WTO – to provide a predicta ble rules -based platform for regulating trade between members. 
This is how economic actors such as micro, small - and medium -sized entrepreneurs (MSMEs), 
women and minority -owned businesses will be able to take advantage in a fair trading 
environment.  
 
When  the latest round of WTO negotiations was launched in 2001, the first I -phone would be still 
six years away, no one had ever heard of Facebook or Twitter and e -commerce was still fledgling. 
Today, it’s hard to imagine any part of commerce that isn’t in som e way affected by the digital 
economy.  Despite the promise of e -commerce as an enabler for MSMEs, women and other 
minority -owned businesses, supply chains and international markets, we cannot even agree to talk 
about this issue multilaterally in the WTO.  
 
Leadership by WTO members is required to harness the incredible power of e -commerce along 
with innovation that MSMEs bring to bear into today’s global trading system. It is time to formally 
acknowledge the important relationship between trade and gender, a  theme that is at the forefront 
of Canada’s progressive trade agenda. This includes the positive economic and social benefits we 
could all reap if women were able to fully participate in global commerce.  Canada is proud to 
support the Declaration on Trade and Women’s Economic Empowerment and I call on all other 
WTO Members to do the same.  
 
Our citizens expect the WTO to deliver outcomes in these areas. They also expect us to deliver 
outcomes on long -outstanding issues like disciplines on harmful fisheries s ubsidies and domestic 
support for agriculture . 
 
Businesses and industry are looking for a commitment from us to eliminate unjustified non -tariff 
barriers to trade. In recent years, our industries have faced an increasing number of non -tariff 
measures, ofte n in the agricultural sector, implemented and enforced by Members without 
scientific justification. This unpredictability which results from the proliferation of these measures 
inhibits trade for all WTO Members, discourages innovation, and increases costs  to consumers. 
This is why Canada believes it is crucial to work collaboratively to reduce and eliminate these WT/MIN(17)/ST/15  
 
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  unjustified non -tariffs measures and reaffirm our commitment towards science -based and 
evidence -based decision making.   
 
To this effect, Canada continues to encourage Members to base their measures on scientific 
evidence, and to take into account the advice of the international standards setting bodies.  Let us 
also have an honest and open conversation about the ways we could work together to impro ve the 
operation and functioning of the WTO.  Canada continues to work with all WTO Members on 
constructive reforms to the organization – and will not engage in discussions on proposals that 
would be divisive or reduce the ambition or member obligations.  
 
We need to take advantage of the hard work and efforts over the past year and continue the make 
progress.  Canada will do its part in support of these efforts – we call on all other Members to do 
the same.  So in conclusion, I look forward to working with yo u over the coming days as we 
advance issues in our common interest.  
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