Trade as Aid. The Canadian government has proposed removing all duties and quotas on imports from least developed countries, which now face astonishingly high tariffs on their key exports such as textiles and apparel. Ottawa?s proposal is good policy: increases in exports spur development and reduce poverty, particularly among women. The removal of tariffs and quotas is likely to reduce poverty in a number of the poorest Asian countries, send a largely symbolic message to the poorest African countries and perhaps improve their living standards in the longer term, and lead to lower prices and a more productive economy for Canadians. In short, in giving aid through trade, Canadians and the world's poor alike will benefit from this small step along a longer-term path of opening Canada's markets to all developing countries. "Trade as Aid: Freeing Access to Canada's Markets for the World's Poor" by Danielle Goldfarb is published by the C.D. Howe Institute.

By C.D.Howe Institute, Canada.

International Trade Policy Resource.