Trade, gender and the international rules-based order

CCPA submission to the federal government white paper on a Feminist Foreign Policy
Author(s): 
December 9, 2020

As part of Canada’s Feminist Foreign Policy White Paper consultation, the federal government asked civil society organizations and individuals how Canada can use the diplomatic tools at its disposal, in multilateral and bilateral forums, “to reinforce efforts to uphold and advance human rights, gender equality and inclusion, while helping to reform the current international rules-based order and shape the system as it evolves to Canada’s advantage.”

This CCPA submission emphasizes the need to accommodate trade policy and matters of economic justice in the government's Feminist Foreign Policy review. Most of the world's interactions with Canada, including diplomatic relations, are commercial in nature, and the commercial and economic relations that are protected by the global trade regime are not gender-neutral. An honest conversation about the global rules-based order requires that the government address the nature of important global trade rules, whose interests they privilege, and how the current order perpetuates economic injustices.

Offices: