Canada’s information and communications technology (ICT) industry includes leaders in every sector, from the manufacturing of telecommunications equipment, to software development and services, to digital media and microelectronics. The industry, which consists mainly of small and medium-sized enterprises, contributes more than $9.3 billion to Canada’s GDP annually, in a knowledge-intensive industry that boasts world-class high-tech manufacturing capabilities.
The WTO’s Information Technology Agreement (ITA) was originally negotiated as a plurilateral agreement among 29 WTO members in 1996. Since then, the number of WTO participants to the Agreement has grown to 81, representing about 97 percent of world trade in products covered under the Agreement. Negotiations to expand the Agreement’s coverage began in 2012.
The expanded ITA eliminates tariffs on ICT and related products covered under it. While approximately 50 countries participated in the negotiations to expand the Agreement, all WTO members will benefit from the outcome as the tariff elimination must be done on a most-favoured nation basis.
