In addition, for the purposes of creating the Development Finance Institute of Canada (DFIC) Inc. (“FinDev Canada”), the Government of Canada broadened EDC’s mandate and scope of activity in May 2017 to include providing, directly or indirectly, development financing and other forms of development support in a manner that is consistent with Canada’s international development priorities. FinDev Canada has been established as a wholly-owned subsidiary of EDC.
The Head Office of EDC is located at 150 Slater Street, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1A 1K3 (Telephone: (613) 598-2500). Regional Offices are in Brossard, Calgary, Charlottetown, Drummondville, Edmonton, Halifax, Kitchener, Laval, London (Ontario), Mississauga, Moncton, Montréal, Québec City, Regina, Sherbrooke, St. John’s, Toronto, Vancouver, Windsor and Winnipeg. In addition, EDC operates one branch office in Singapore and Foreign Representations in Atlanta, Beijing, Bogotá, Chicago, Dubai, Düsseldorf, Hong Kong, Istanbul, Johannesburg, Lima, London, Mexico City, Mumbai, New Delhi, Rio de Janeiro, San Pedro Garza Garcia, Santiago, São Paulo, Shanghai and Sydney.
Status as a Crown Corporation
EDC is an agent of Her Majesty in right of Canada and is a Crown corporation whose shares shall be held in trust for Her Majesty. Crown corporations are established by the Parliament of Canada for many purposes, including the administering and managing of public services in which business enterprise and public accountability can be combined. EDC is ultimately accountable for the conduct of its affairs to Parliament through the Minister of International Trade.
TRADE UPDATES
Canada and the United States
Canada and the United States are each other’s most important trading partners, reflecting the physical proximity of the two countries and their close economic and financial relationship. In 2021, trade with the United States accounted for 75.0% of the value of Canada’s merchandise exports and 62.2% of the value of Canada’s merchandise imports. According to the United States Census Bureau, trade with Canada accounted for 17.5% of the United States’ exports and 12.5% of its imports in 2021.
At the regional level, the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (“CUSMA”) entered into force between Canada, the U.S. and Mexico on July 1, 2020. The CUSMA preserves the essential trade benefits of the North American Free Trade Agreement (“NAFTA”), including existing tariff commitments, and incorporates new and updated provisions that seek to address 21st century trade issues. The three parties continue to collaborate in ensuring the full implementation of commitments under the Agreement, especially through regular engagement in the CUSMA Free Trade Commission and related committees. The CUSMA is also serving to support the management of regional trade issues, including, for example, U.S. duties on Canadian softwood lumber, Canada’s administration of import quotas for U.S. dairy products, and the interpretation of certain rules of origin for automotive goods.
Canada and China
China is Canada’s second-largest trading partner overall and third largest merchandise export market, after the U.S. and the EU-27. In 2021, 4.6% of Canada’s total exports went to China. Canadian merchandise exports to China in 2021 were $28.8 billion, and imports from China were $85.7 billion. The strong rebound in Canadian exports to China in 2021 follows a 16.4% decrease in 2019. As a result, it was only in 2021 that Canada’s exports returned to the level they were at in 2018.
The Canada-China Foreign Investment Protection and Promotion Agreement (FIPA) entered into force in October 2014. It affords investors protections against discriminatory and arbitrary practices, increases transparency, provides investors with certain guaranteed rights of treatment, and includes dispute settlement procedures. To date, no claims have been initiated against Canada under the FIPA’s dispute resolution mechanism. While Canada and China do not have a bilateral free trade agreement, both are members of the World Trade Organization (WTO). When trade irritants arise, Canada’s approach with China, as with other trading partners, is to try to resolve them through bilateral consultations. If this approach is not successful, Canada may then resort to exercising its rights under the WTO. While Canadian exports to China have increased, there have been a number of trade irritants in the relationship, particularly for agriculture/agri-food exports and air services. As an example, when China blocked shipments of canola seed from two Canadian companies in 2019 citing the discovery of pests in shipments as the grounds for their actions, Canada sought to resolve the issue through technical consultations. When it became apparent that this issue could not be resolved through technical consultations, Canada requested a WTO panel, which has since been established to adjudicate the trade dispute.
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