Reinforcing international trade policies that promote growth and prosperity for all businesses, communities, and economies will be key to ensuring an inclusive and sustainable economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
June 9, 2021 – Ottawa, Ontario – Global Affairs Canada
Reinforcing international trade policies that promote growth and prosperity for all businesses, communities, and economies will be key to ensuring an inclusive and sustainable economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Today, the Honourable Mary Ng, Minister of Small Business, Export Promotion and International Trade, participated in a public panel discussion hosted by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) to discuss the benefits of the Global Trade and Gender Arrangement (GTAGA) between Canada, Chile, and New Zealand.
Signed on August 4, 2020, and open to other countries seeking to join, the GTAGA is increasing women’s participation in trade and contributing to broadening efforts to improve women’s economic empowerment. The arrangement highlights Canada’s long-standing commitment to gender equality and recognizes the importance of mutually supportive trade and gender policies.
During the discussion with her GTAGA counterparts from Chile and New Zealand, Minister Ng raised the importance of building knowledge and understanding on the issues, barriers and challenges faced by women in trade. She highlighted how the arrangement, with its wide range of co-operation activities, allows for innovative and responsive tools to create and advance opportunities for women exporters.
As chair of the Ottawa Group on WTO reform, she highlighted the GTAGA’s potential to bring countries together at the WTO to put more inclusive trade policies into practice and ensure everyone benefits from international trade and investment.
“We hope that the leadership shown by Canada, Chile, and New Zealand in ensuring that our trade policies and practices support opportunities for women in trade will be an example to the world. The Global Trade and Gender Arrangement is an important step forward. We want all WTO member countries to join in this arrangement so that women around the world can access and benefit from the global marketplace.”
– Mary Ng, Minister of Small Business, Export Promotion and International Trade
The OECD is an international organization whose goal is to shape policies that foster prosperity, equality, opportunity, and well-being for all.
Canada, Chile, and New Zealand are advancing inclusive trade initiatives through the Inclusive Trade Action Group (ITAG), which was established on the margins of the 2018 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Leaders’ Summit.
On August 4, 2020, ITAG members developed the stand-alone Global Trade and Gender Arrangement, which commits each participant to advancing an inclusive approach to trade and addressing the barriers that women and all genders face when participating in trade.
Studies show that by advancing gender equality and women’s participation in the economy, Canada could add up to $150 billion to its GDP by 2026.
Minister Ng leads Canada’s Women Entrepreneurship Strategy, a $5 billion investment that provides access to financing, networks, and expertise to help more women start businesses, scale up, and access new markets. In place since 2018, the strategy has been providing women entrepreneurs and business owners with support that will ensure a better and more inclusive economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Alice Hansen
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Small Business, Export Promotion and International Trade
613-612-0482
Alice.Hansen@international.gc.ca