The fallout from the clothing factory collapse in Bangladesh – which caught media attention for a while – has subsided. However, it has left western industries scrambling for a solution and for very real and effective safeguards against this thing happening again. There’s commercial self-interest involved, sure. Companies can’t afford the public opprobrium in ther… Read More »
Joe Oliver, Minister of Natural Resources, fired a shot across the European bow last May over the possible enactment of the proposed EU Fuel Quality Directive (FDQ), saying that if it’s passed, Canada could march the Europeans to the World Trade Organisation. This came at a delicate time, as Canadian and European negotiators are trying… Read More »
Canada is being sued under the NAFTA investment arbitration regime (in NAFTA Chapter 11) more than Mexico and the US combined. Today, there are eight active cases underway against Canada – all by American investors. There are only two cases on the books against Mexico and only one underway against the United States. Taking into… Read More »
Last May, the WTO Appellate Body turned down Canada’s appeal from the earlier WTO panel decision that found the local content requirements of the Ontario’s Green Energy Act and the Feed-in-Tariff (FIT) program offended the WTO Agreement. The decision is a critical one for the WTO, the first directly dealing with a country’s green energy… Read More »