Can Canada live without NAFTA’s Chapter 19? – Global News

Jan 23, 2018

As the sixth round of NAFTA renegotiations takes place in Québec with Chapter 19 a major focal point, Osler partner Riyaz Dattu tells Global News the Chapter 19 dispute resolution system is “unbiased.” In her article, author Rebecca Joseph examines the status of the latest round of NAFTA talks. The article discusses how the U.S. has requested to remove Chapter 19 from the agreement, but the Canadian government has signalled it might be a sticking point during negotiations. Riyaz, who specializes in International Trade and Investment Law, explains.

“NAFTA is the only trade agreement that the U.S. provides for a mechanism such as Chapter 19,” Riyaz tells Global News.

The third-party dispute resolution panel consists of trade experts from both countries named in the dispute, and as Riyaz tells Global News, “These specialists are experts on trade law and record shows that the decisions are unbiased.”

Riyaz also says that “NAFTA can go on without the specific dispute process, because Chapter 20 provides for a general dispute resolution mechanism.”

For more information, read Rebecca Joseph’s full article “Can Canada live without NAFTA’s Chapter 19?” in Global News.