WTO rules for Canada in conflict over American rights on glossy paper

Canada won the Essence of a ruling made Thursday at the World Trade Organization in the context of a dispute over US tariffs on Canadian exports of paper supercalendered, used in glossy magazines and catalogs

. Washington was wrong to penalize Canada for subsidizing its paper industry.

The decision may be challenged by one or the other of the parties.

The jury refused to rule on several arguments.

Canada complained about US subsidy investigations for Port Hawkesbury Paper LP and Resolute FP, and claimed that other companies had received subsidies.

The DOC was wrong to accept the allegations made by rival US firms when it discovered that Canadian companies had not disclosed all possible subsidy programs. The WTO panel accepted.

The decision could worsen the anger of US President Donald Trump with regard to the world trade body. He complained that the United States is unfairly treated, even though commercial experts believe that the win / lose rate of US trade disputes is not worse, and perhaps a bit better, than that other members of the WTO.

WTO rulings on US trade policies, including a long series of defeats on the US way of badessing trade at unfair prices, known as dumping.

Trump threatened to take action against the WTO Monday. It has already put the WTO in crisis by blocking the appointment of appeal judges, threatening to put an end to the global system of dispute settlement.