Anti-dumping measures add billions to Canadian economy

A report earlier this month from the Canadian International Trade Tribunal concludes that the beneficial effects of anti-dumping and countervailing measures on the economy are often underestimated.

Although the number of these measures decreased by 63% between 1989 and 2013, the 48 measures in place at the end of 2013 had affected 22,000 jobs, $7.7 billion in Canadian shipments, $0.5 billion in investment and $1.2 billion in imports.

“The report finds that due to the remedial effect of anti-dumping and countervailing measures, the actual values of shipments, investments and imports, as well as employment levels, in the years following the imposition of anti-dumping and countervailing measures do not accurately reflect the extent to which the measures affected those indicators,” write  Richard G. Dearden, Wendy J. Wagner & Anca M. Sattler in Gowling Henderson Lafleur‘s Government Briefing Bulletin.

“As anti-dumping and countervailing measures result in increased prices of imports covered by the measure, imports for those products tend to decrease, while at the same time Canadian shipments, investments and employment will increase. Therefore, evaluating the impact with the measures in place would not accurately reflect the extent to which the measures actually impacted the market.”

Source: Financial Post