Does Canada allow access to foreign service providers to provide water distribution services under the GATS?
All of Canada’s international trade obligations clearly preserve Canada’s ability to deliver drinking water to its citizens by municipal, regional or provincial governments, or by these governments through procurement of water distribution services from private sector firms. Canada has no GATS commitments in respect of water collection, purification and distribution services and has no plans to make any. In addition, the GATS services sectoral classification list, on which the majority of WTO Members’ commitments, including Canada’s, are based, explicitly excludes collection, purification and distribution services of potable water.
