Key Takeaways
- The World Trade Organization (WTO) has confirmed receiving Canada’s complaint over US tariffs.
- Canada claims the US tariffs are inconsistent with the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade and the Trade Facilitation Agreement.
- Justin Trudeau announced Canada’s decision to file the complaint with the WTO.
Washington: The World Trade Organization (WTO) said on Wednesday it received Canada’s complaint over US tariffs, requesting dispute consultations.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on Tuesday that Canada would file a complaint with the WTO due to the US imposing a 25% tariff on non-energy goods and 10% on energy goods from Canada.
“Canada has requested WTO dispute consultations with the United States regarding new tariff measures applied by the United States on goods originating in Canada,” the WTO said.
US tariffs are “inconsistent with various provisions” of the 1994 General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade as well as with the Trade Facilitation Agreement, Canada has claimed. The complaint was circulated among WTO member states on Wednesday, the organization said.
The request for consultations is the first step of initiating a formal dispute in the WTO. If parties fail to resolve the dispute within 60 days, litigation follows.
