Hello. I am Marie-Hélène Cantin and I am a senior economist with the international trade policy division of the Department of Finance.
The amendments contained in division 20 are technical and administrative clarifications to support Canada's long-standing approach in the selection of candidates for rosters, panels and committees for disputes concerning antidumping and countervailing duties lodged under NAFTA, the North American Free Trade Agreement, or CUSMA, the Canada—United States—Mexico Agreement.
Chapter 19 of NAFTA provided for a dispute resolution mechanism for antidumping and countervailing duties that was used to replace domestic judicial reviews. Chapter 10 of CUSMA leaves this mechanism intact, which was a key objective for Canada in the negotiations. Chapter 19 of NAFTA provides that the responsibility for choosing candidates for rosters, panels and committees is shared between the Minister of International Trade and the Minister of Finance.
This shared responsibility was in keeping with the fact that the Minister of Finance is responsible for the antidumping and countervailing duties regime in Canada according to the Special Import Measures Act, as well as the fact that the Minister of International Trade is responsible for defending Canadian interests in American or Mexican investigations into dumping and subsidies.
Bill C-30 proposes changes to the Canada—United States—Mexico Agreement Implementation Act to reestablish the requirement of obtaining the consent of the Minister of Finance when the Minister of International Trade selects candidates for rosters, panels and committees as per the terms of Chapter 10 of CUSMA.
My colleagues from Global Affairs Canada, John Layton and Raahool Watchmaker, are here with me and ready to answer your questions.