Informal Heads of Delegation Meeting – May 4, 2022

Canada's statement

As we embark on the final stretch to the twelfth Ministerial Conference, we must remain cognizant of the precarious situation facing the world today.

The military actions by the Russian Federation against the sovereign territory and people of Ukraine demonstrate a complete disregard for the rules-based international order and threaten us all.

Russia's attacks are causing widespread humanitarian consequences and resulting in the senseless deaths of innocent people in Ukraine.

Russia has destroyed much of Ukraine's ability to supply the world with food and has undermined Ukraine's ability to participate in the multilateral trading system.

Russia's actions are also hindering the global economic recovery from COVID-19 and negatively impacting global food security.

Russia is solely responsible for this crisis, and its false narratives cannot change that.

We must defend a world order where relationships between states are determined not on the basis of power, but by international law.

In this respect, I'd like to reflect for a moment on the role of the rule book that is represented by the World Trade Organization, and that of the GATT before it.

The modern trading system was founded on the belief that economic interdependency would encourage partnership and reduce the risk of conflict.

Indeed, the certainty it brought to the commercial relations between Contracting Parties and then between Members had largely done just that.  Until now.

The recent events are a reminder that even longstanding norms and rules must never be taken for granted.

Canada, for its part, remains steadfast in its commitment to the ideals and objectives of the World Trade Organization.

We will continue to advocate for successful outcomes at the 12th Ministerial Conference.

Concluding negotiations on fisheries subsidies, extending the moratorium on imposing customs duties on electronic transmissions, and responding to the pandemic remain priorities for Canada.

The challenges to global food security, exacerbated by Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine, highlight the importance of open markets and predictable rules-based trade in agriculture.

At MC12, WTO Members should respond to the immediate food security concerns by following the principle of "do not harm". The WTO should call for policy responses that keep markets open, transparent, and predictable to help ensure food moves where it is needed, and should resist the urge to implement measures that block trade or could cause longterm market distortions.  As part of this, we need to agree to exempt World Food Program purchases from export restrictions.

WTO Members should also agree to a negotiation framework on agriculture to advance the reform process and create a more resilient international agriculture trading system. 

These two steps would put the WTO on the path to improving each dimension of food security by ensuring the availability and accessibility of food and the longterm stability of food supplies. 

We also expect Members use MC12 to set us on a path that allows for progress on new issues and to ensure the restoration of a fully functioning dispute settlement system and broader reform of the Organization.

Thank you.