1.25.1. International and national trade agreements
Attention! As the transition to CanadaBuys is ongoing, Supply Manual references to ABE are to be interpreted as a generic system reference only. Users of the SAP Ariba environment should adapt their activities accordingly.
Buyers are advised to consult the tools available on CanadaBuys for guidance and procedures on completing procurement transactions in the SAP Ariba environment.
- Canada is a Party to several trade agreements (TAs) which include obligations aimed at reducing trade barriers between the Parties in the area of government procurement:
- Canada is Party to the Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA) with the provinces and territories.
Note: The CFTA replaced the Agreement on Internal Trade (AIT) on July 1, 2017. The AIT continues to apply only to procurements commenced before July 1, 2017, until those procurements are complete.
- Canada is also Party to several international trade agreements (ITAs):
- Canada - European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA);
- Revised World Trade Organization Agreement on Government Procurement (WTO-AGP);
- Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP);
- Canada - Chile Free Trade Agreement (CCFTA);
- Canada - Colombia Free Trade Agreement;
- Canada - Honduras Free Trade Agreement;
- Canada - Korea Free Trade Agreement;
- Canada - Panama Free Trade Agreement;
- Canada - Peru Free Trade Agreement (CPFTA);
- Canada - United Kingdom Trade Continuity Agreement (Canada-UK TCA);
- Canada - Ukraine Free Trade Agreement (CUFTA).
Note: The Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) replaced the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) on July 1, 2020. Government procurement obligations of the CUSMA do not apply to Canada. NAFTA continues to apply to procurements commenced before July 1, 2020, until those procurements are complete.
- Canada is Party to the Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA) with the provinces and territories.
- For the most part, the Supply Manual refers to the international trade agreements collectively. In general, by complying with the procedural obligations of the WTO-AGP, the procedural obligations of the other international trade agreements will also be met. As coverage varies between agreements, whether a procurement is covered by an international trade agreement still must be determined pursuant to the Market Access Schedules of that Agreement.
- The Canadian International Trade Tribunal is the mechanism by which Canada enforces the implementation of the procurement obligations in these trade agreements.
- For assistance with the application of the trade agreements, contracting officers may contact the Trade Agreement Unit of the Strategic Policy Sector at tpsgc.paaccordscommerciaux-aptradeagreements.pwgsc@tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca.