By Georgina Wainwright Kemdirim, Vice President Policy, OWIT-Ottawa

OWIT-Canada, which is OWIT-Ottawa and OWIT-Toronto jointly, delivered a submission to Global Affairs Canada on the review of the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) on November 3, 2025, as part of the stakeholder outreach process.

In our submission, we noted the value of CUSMA for trade and investment and the importance of its renewal for Canada's prosperity and that of the entire region. We noted the many positive gender elements of the existing Agreement such as in the Labour and SME chapters, and reminded GAC of the Gender Based Analysis Plus of the final Agreement and the importance of reviewing that for opportunities to make the Agreement even stronger from a gender and inclusion point of view. We also encouraged Canada's negotiators to continue to be ambitious and seek a Trade and Gender chapter in the renewed CUSMA and other gender-related provisions across the agreement, as well as provisions that promote and protect the rights and interests of Indigenous Peoples. We noted that there could be an opportunity to pursue a side agreement with Mexico on Trade and Gender if the USA was not amenable to such a chapter. We note that Mexico is a positive force on gender equality and has already signed on to the Global Trade and Gender Arrangement. There may be an opportunity with Mexico to do more.

We also expressed our interest as OWIT-Canada to work with Global Affairs Canada and the OWIT chapters in the United States and Mexico to further promote women's participation in trade. With experience that we already have in leading trade missions in the region, we would like to work together with government and OWIT partners to further strengthen women's participation in trade in the region. In our submission, we also reflected concerns expressed to us by OWIT-Canada members, following our outreach to them. Our submission concluded by presenting a summary of our 12 concrete recommendations to Global Affairs Canada to advance women’s participation in trade in North America and increased benefit from CUSMA, namely:

1. Continue to pursue an inclusive and sustainable approach to trade in its trade negotiations with the USA and Mexico;

2. Re-affirm commitment to the existing gender responsive and inclusive provisions across the CUSMA, including in the Labour and SME Chapters, and ensure that there is no backtracking or cuts to these or other provisions that advance gender equality and inclusion;

3. Seek new ambitious chapters on Trade and Gender, Trade and Indigenous Peoples, and Trade and Responsible Business Conduct, and add new gender provisions in the SME chapter;

4. Conduct an early, comprehensive and ongoing Gender Based Analysis Plus of the FTA, seek stakeholder views on the initial GBA Plus report, and publish results of what was heard to promote accountability and transparency;

5. Provide Gender and Trade Advisory Group members, all stakeholders and Indigenous Peoples with regular updates on the progress of negotiations so that we may support Canada’s negotiating strategy development and ensure an inclusive outcome that leaves no one behind;

6. Work with OWIT-Canada to engage OWIT chapters in the USA and Mexico so that women can more effectively benefit from the FTA, including Indigenous women;

7. Produce a plain language companion guide for the Rules of Origin Chapter so that SMEs may more easily understand the originating rules governing trade;

8. Ensure that CUSMA, and our trade policy in general, more effectively promotes environmental sustainability and climate change mitigation and resilience;

9. Track gender provisions achieved in CUSMA so that they can be effectively implemented, monitored and evaluated to better achieve gender results;

10. Establish a Women in Trade Knowledge Hub modelled on the Women Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub funded by the Women Entrepreneurship Strategy;

11. Convene a Women in Trade Conference during the annual CUSMA SME Dialogue; and,

12. Increase the awareness of its CUSMA trade partners that tariffs disproportionately affect women and vulnerable populations.

Building on our continued support of CUSMA over the years, OWIT-Canada remains committed to working with all partners to advance the participation of women in trade in Canada and in the North American region, and we stand ready to support Global Affairs Canada in any way in the CUSMA review and any negotiations that may follow.