Report of the Canadian Delegation to the Sixteenth Session of the Steering Committee of the Parliamentary Conference on the World Trade Organization

Organized jointly by the Inter-Parliamentary Union and the European Parliament

1.  Background

The Parliamentary Conference on the WTO is a joint undertaking of the Inter-Parliamentary Union and the European Parliament. Its primary objective is to enhance the external transparency of the WTO and to make it accountable to legislators as elected representatives of the people. The sessions of the Parliamentary Conference on the WTO are held once a year and on the occasion of WTO Ministerial Conferences.

The Steering Committee of the Parliamentary Conference on the WTO is responsible for all matters relating to the organisation of the Parliamentary Conference on the WTO.

2.  Agenda

The Steering Committee of the Parliamentary Conference on the WTO met on 3 October 2007 at IPU Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.  The session included the following agenda items:

o   Hearing with chief WTO negotiators of the four major trading powers

o   Special hearing with Ambassador Crawford (New Zealand)

o   Consideration of revised draft guidelines for relations between governments and parliaments in international trade issues

o   Definition of geographical regions for the purposes of the Steering Committee

o   Composition of the Steering Committee

o   Activities of the Parliamentary Conference on the WTO in 2007 and beyond

3.  The Canadian Delegation

Forty-six participants from national parliaments representing 20 countries and regional parliamentary assemblies took part in the meeting of the Steering Committee, including the Honourable Donald H. Oliver, Senator, P.C., and Mr. Ted Menzies, M.P., (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Cooperation and the Minister of International Trade), from Canada.

4.  The Meeting

The IPU’s report on the 16^th Session of the Conference Steering Committee, which includes a summary of decisions taken by the Committee, may be found in Appendix 1.

At the close of the Meeting the Steering Committee adopted the following Statement:

Intensive discussions held in September have yielded some tangible progress in the Doha Round. Agreements on modalities on agriculture and non-agricultural market access (NAMA) remain crucial for the Round to conclude within a reasonable time frame and to deliver on its development commitment.

The information on the ongoing talks, shared with us by the negotiators of the four major trading powers and the chairman of the Agriculture negotiating group, stand proof of the fact that convergence is still possible, albeit very challenging.

In the last months, some political actors have raised the possibility of a minimalist "Doha-lite" package, calibrating ambitions against sensitivities of countries and trade blocks, as a realistic way forward in saving the Round. The case for a realizable Doha package could be even stronger in view of the looming systemic implications of a failure.

As members of parliament with a mandate to oversee and encourage government action in the field of international trade, we reiterate our call for an ambitious package: a compromise lies on the path of mutual, balanced and fair concessions, taking into account the overall world economic landscape and the enormous risks involved in a continued stalemate. Therefore, we urge our governments to spare no efforts in ensuring an equitable and development-oriented outcome of the Doha Round. As parliamentarians we restate our commitment to provide our firm backing to this process.

 

Respectfully submitted,