Canada benefits from the predictability gained from a rules-based international trading system. As a medium-sized country, we cannot hope to match the subsidies and other advantages that some countries elect to advance their producers. In the absence of a rules-based system, we could anticipate that these imbalances would only increase. Canadian workers, small business owners and entrepreneurs have the ability to compete. They are counting on their government to work in concert with other governments to create a level global playing field to assist them in their efforts.

The Government of Canada remains committed to an open, transparent, and rules-based international trading system. Active Canadian participation in ongoing negotiations at the WTO and in regional and bilateral initiatives underscores the Government of Canada’s determination to see the right rules govern business transactions around the world.

There are those who argue that foreign trade and inter-national trade rules increase Canada’s dependence on others outside our borders, limit our freedom to act in our own self-interest, and will ultimately erode the social programs that shape our nation. It is true that our engagement in international markets means that we cannot ignore events outside our borders. But rather than limit our choices, trade expands the range of alternatives available to Canada and to Canadians.

Far from threatening the programs we hold dear, success in the international marketplace fuels the nation’s economic engine, providing Canadians with the energy we need to build the country we want. Trade liberalization and expansion are not inconsistent with our social and cultural policies. To the contrary, our prosperity affords us the opportunity to pursue ambitious and compassionate social programs that have made our country special. Canada must continue to grow economically to sustain these policies in the future. 

For more information on Canada’s trade agenda, access the website of the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade - http://www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca/ 
 

India For India to become a major player in world trade, an all encompassing comprehensive view needs to be taken for the overall development of the country’s foreign trade. While increase in exports is of vital importance, the country must also facilitate those imports which are required to stimulate the Indian economy. Coherence and consistency among trade and other economic policies is important for maximizing the contribution of such policies to development.

Thus, while incorporating the existing practice of enunciating an annual Exim Policy, it is necessary to go much beyond and take an integrated approach to the developmental requirements of India’s foreign trade. This is the context of the new Foreign Trade Policy (2004-2009).

Trade is not an end in itself, but a means to economic growth and national development. The primary purpose is not the mere earning of foreign exchange, but the stimulation of greater economic activity. The Foreign Trade Policy is rooted in this belief and built around two major objectives. These are: to double India’s percentage share of global merchandise trade within the next five years; and, to act as an effective instrument of economic growth by giving a thrust to employment generation.

Trade Policy (2004-2009) is essentially a roadmap for the development of India’s foreign trade. It contains the basic principles and points the direction in which the country proposes to go. By virtue of its very dynamics, a trade policy cannot be fully comprehensive in all its details. It would naturally require modification from time to time. The government proposes to do this through continuous updates, based on the inevitable changing dynamics of international trade. The government proposes to erect milestones on this roadmap in partnership with business and industry.

For complete information on India’s Foreign Trade Policy (2004-09), access the website of the Directorate General of Foreign Trade - http://dgft.delhi.nic.in/