Visit to Canada and the United States

I will visit Canada and the United States between 23 and 26 October, to represent Australia at a meeting of trade ministers on World Trade Organization (WTO) reform, and to meet Canadian and US leaders in government and business.

 

This will be the first visit by an Australian Trade Minister to Canada in almost four years.

 

With trade ministers in Ottawa, I will continue to reinforce the importance of global trade rules and progress discussions on the need to forge ahead with considering practical reforms to improve confidence in the WTO.

 

Continued progress on WTO reform will be vital in helping to safeguard the multilateral trading system and also the ability of the WTO to deliver real outcomes for its members.

 

In Canada, I will also meet ministerial and parliamentary counterparts including Canadian Minister of International Trade Diversification Jim Carr, as well as companies contributing to the strong trade and investment relationship between Australia and Canada, currently worth over $100 billion. 

 

Australia and Canada are also co-signatories of the TPP-11 which passed through our Parliament last week and will create substantial new market opportunities for Australian businesses, farmers and investors, given it is our first free trade agreement with Canada.

 

In Washington, I expect to meet US Administration counterparts including US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer. This will provide an opportunity to continue to promote the interests of Australian businesses and to advocate for a WTO-consistent resolution between the US and China.

 

I will also meet businesses important to bilateral trade and investment during a roundtable hosted by the American Australian Council.