FAQ Related Internet Sites Trade Agreements Canada has signed a number of national and international agreements to eliminate trade barriers, facilitate the cross-border movement of goods and services, and increase investment opportunities for Canadian business. These agreements deal with all aspects of trade including government procurement. The procurement process must be open, fair and transparent. The agreements emphasize a consistent approach to the procurement process and each contains a principle of non-discrimination to ensure that a supplier can expect to be treated no less fairly than any other supplier.
Coverage varies widely from agreement to agreement.
The AIT does not apply to procurement related to cultural industries, aboriginal culture or national security. The WTO-AGP is a multilateral agreement which aims to secure greater international competition for government procurement. For all the agreements, suppliers are eligible to bid on any contract provided that they meet qualification requirements. In general, these qualification requirements include an assessment of the financial, technical and managerial skills of the supplier to ensure that the supplier can fulfil the contract. All publicly advertised opportunities are listed on MERX - the electronic tendering service.