Appendix A provides an overview of Canada`s trade agreements, while ScheduleS B and I provide more detailed detail on the specific provisions of the agreements most relevant to municipalities. These sections of the guide are therefore intended to provide a fundamental but comprehensive introduction to Canada`s trade agreements. The second part of the guide provides more specific guidance to FCM on when and how the specific provisions of these agreements could be applied to local community programs and activities. This section is therefore necessarily more complex and technical. It introduces the reader to the nearest level of detail and addresses a number of issues to help determine what provisions for trade agreements might apply in certain circumstances. To illustrate the practical application of this approach, the questions asked in the example scenarios of the MMMC are used as representative of the types of situations that municipalities may face. The basic principles of most trade agreements are simple and are probably already reflected in the way municipalities do business. They are essentially calling for non-discrimination and disciplines to promote a degree of fairness. The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) on January 1, 1989, when it came into force, was between the United States, Canada and Mexico that agreement was to remove customs barriers between the various countries.
SPS Agreement: Agreement on the Application of Health and Plant Health Measures: a WTO agreement that defines members` rights and obligations with respect to SPS measures. WTO membership must accept the reports of the panel and the appeal body, unless there is a consensus not to adopt them. The reports of the adopted panels and appeal panels are binding on WTO members who complain and react in litigation. If a member is found to be not meeting its obligations, it must comply with the judgment within a “reasonable time.” If the member does not do so, he or she may offer compensation to the complaining member. In the absence of an agreement on compensation, the complaining member may seek permission to suspend the concession application or other obligations for the responding member. 2. Fair and equitable treatment is also a condition in various trade agreements under the guarantee to provide foreign investors with a minimum standard of treatment. This principle implies the obligation to provide appropriate procedure to foreign investors to ensure that the treatment of an investment should not be treated fairly and fairly by generally accepted international ordinary standards. The principle of fair and fair treatment also applies to public procurement when a contract is accepted by Canada`s international obligations. The joint working group informs municipalities of ongoing international trade negotiations in Canada and ensures that their views on trade issues are taken into account in the development of trade positions.
