As a result of their deliberations committees may make recommendations which they include in their reports for the consideration of the House of Commons or the Government. Recommendations related to this study are listed below.

Recommendation 1

The Government of Canada, in its trade negotiations, pursue the elimination of non-tariff barriers. The focus should be barriers that are not science-based, that do not achieve a legitimate objective or that are the most trade-restrictive from the perspective of Canadian exporters. In particular, the Government should prioritize enhancing its efforts designed to eliminate non-tariff barriers that limit opportunities for Canada’s small and medium-sized firms. Moreover, the Government should enhance the mandate of Global Affairs Canada’s Trade Commissioner Service so that trade commissioners have a responsibility to work with such firms with the goal of increasing their benefits from Canada’s existing trade agreements.

Recommendation 2

The Government of Canada ensure that the country’s trade agreements contain timely and binding dispute-settlement mechanisms that apply to provisions addressing non-tariff trade barriers. In particular, the Government should review the mechanisms in existing trade agreements to confirm that concerns about sanitary and phytosanitary measures can be resolved quickly. If the review identifies opportunities for stronger mechanisms, the Government should discuss changes with relevant trade partners.

Recommendation 3

The Government of Canada continue with, and enhance, its efforts with trade partners to harmonize regulations and eliminate non-tariff trade barriers. In this regard, the Government should prioritize Canadian sectors that are experiencing—or have the potential to experience—non-tariff barriers with severe adverse impacts, including the agricultural and automotive sectors.

Recommendation 4

The Government of Canada be required to monitor agri-food product imports at Canada’s borders to ensure that reciprocity of standards exists and is not only a theoretical objective. This monitoring should occur without negative impacts on the efficiency with which Canada’s international trade occurs. Moreover, the Government should take actions to ensure that the practices and inputs that foreign manufacturers use to produce goods that are imported into Canada do not have negative impacts on the producers of equivalent domestic goods.

Recommendation 5

The Government of Canada take actions to preserve its sovereign right to legislate for the common good. As well, in situations where unjustified NTBs are alleged to exist, the Government should engage in meaningful discussions with relevant parties to resolve the issue.