The two ministers of foreign affairs from Canada and Chile, Honorable Ed Fast and his Chilean counterpart, Heraldo Muñoz, have announced on Nov. 10, 2014, that Canada and Chile have concluded and signed a new chapter on technical barriers to trade (TBT), inclusive of two annexes to address TBT issues for ice wine and organic products. According to the Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada’s report, the TBT chapter includes strong controls on non-tariff measures, which will be supported by the bilateral dispute settlement provisions in the treaty.

The Canada – Chile FTA came into force on July 5, 1997 and it is a comprehensive agreement covering trade in goods and services, as well as a bilateral investment relationship. A report from the Office of the Chief Economist, published in May 2013, analyses the economic conditions and the impact of the CCFTA on the bilateral trade between Canada and Chile, to conclude that the CCFTA is “working as intended, encouraging trade between the two countries.” Recognizing an ongoing need to modernize and broaden the CCFTA, Canada and Chile have amended their bilateral trade agreement to include new chapter on government procurement, a new chapter on financial services and updated the rules on government procurement, customs procedures and dispute settlement. Currently, there are ongoing efforts to update the rules of origin in the CCFTA.

Both Canada and Chile are members of the ongoing negotiations for the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement, along with Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the United States, and Vietnam.

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