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Canada's objectives for negotiations for a Canada-Ecuador Free Trade Agreement

On December 13, 2023, the Government of Canada tabled in Parliament its notice of intent to enter into negotiations toward a comprehensive Canada-Ecuador Free Trade Agreement (FTA), in accordance with the Policy on Tabling of Treaties in Parliament.

In negotiating an FTA with Ecuador, the government’s objective will be to create meaningful benefits for Canadian businesses, workers and families. Through an FTA, the government will seek to provide Canadians with increased preferential access to the Ecuadorian market, benefiting Canadian exporters. The government will seek to ensure that the benefits and opportunities of trade with Ecuador are widely shared, including with traditionally underrepresented groups, such as women and women-owned businesses, Indigenous Peoples, and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

In addition to seeking improved preferential access, Canada will seek to conclude a modern, ambitious and inclusive trade agreement, reflecting the latest approaches, including in areas such as digital trade, trade and gender, environment and labour. In addition, the government will ensure that the FTA does not prevent the federal government from acting to fulfil Canada’s legal obligations to Indigenous Peoples, including rights as recognized and affirmed by Section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982, and those rights set out in self-government agreements. The government will seek to preserve flexibility to adopt and maintain measures related to Canada’s cultural sector. The government will also fully defend Canada’s supply management system for dairy, poultry and eggs, including by not conceding any additional market access for supply-managed goods.

In pursuing a Canada-Ecuador FTA, the government will continue to be guided by feedback obtained from Canadians during public consultations. This includes feedback received during in spring 2023, as well as through ongoing engagement with a broad range of stakeholders to be conducted throughout the negotiating process. The government also recognizes the important work done by the Standing Committee on International Trade as part of their ongoing study on free trade negotiations between Canada and Ecuador. The government will also be guided by the findings of an Environmental Assessment and Gender-Based Analysis Plus of the proposed FTA.

The government is fully committed to a high level of transparency throughout the negotiation of a Canada-Ecuador FTA. In this spirit, the government has agreed to publish a summary of its specific objectives for the negotiation of new comprehensive trade agreements.

In line with the considerations listed above, Canada will seek to negotiate an FTA that:

Trade in goods

National treatment and market access for goods

Rules of origin

Origin procedures

Customs and trade facilitation

Trade remedies

Sanitary and phytosanitary measures

Technical barriers to trade

Investment and trade in services

Investment

Cross-border trade in services and domestic regulation

Financial services

Temporary movement of business persons

Telecommunications

** Notwithstanding the above negotiating objectives, in light of ongoing consideration in Ecuador of the legal compatibility between investment agreements and its domestic legal framework, it is possible that investment and services provisions may be set aside, in part or entirely, from an agreement if necessary during the negotiation process.**

Other areas

Digital trade

Government procurement

Intellectual property

Competition policy

State-owned enterprises and designated monopolies

Labour

Environment

Transparency and anti-corruption

Trade and responsible business conduct

Regulatory cooperation and good regulatory practices

Trade and gender

Trade and Indigenous Peoples

Small and medium-sized enterprises

Administrative

Dispute settlement

Institutional and general exceptions

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