加拿大全球事务部关于加拿大欧盟数字贸易协定的评论（英）

to Global Affairs CanadaOttawa, ON August 25, 2025 CONTENTS Comments of ITIF....................................................................................................................................... 1Introduction and Summary.......................................................................................................................... 2Key Topics................................................................................................................................................... 4Keep PIPEDA’s Framework for Cross-Border Movement of Data............................................................. 4Protect Intellectual Property by Avoiding Backdoors in Source Code Disclosure ....................................... 5Maintain a Flexible Approach for Developing and Using Artificial Intelligence ......................................... 5 INTRODUCTION AND SUMMARY The Centre for Canadian Innovation and Competitiveness appreciates the opportunity to contributeto Global Affairs Canada’s consultation on a potential Canada-European Union Digital Trade Canada should approach exploratory talks regarding a Canada–EU Digital Trade Agreement (DTA) withcaution. Greater alignment with the EU may appear to provide a hedge against U.S. influence, but in practiceit risks importing a framework that impedes the potential for Canada’s digital economy and industries whileraising compliance costs without increasing competitiveness. A DTA must not become a vehicle for Moreover, Canada already possesses a stronger foundation in the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreementon the Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and potential accession to Digital Economy PartnershipAgreement (DEPA). These frameworks prohibit data localization, enable cross-border data flows, and provide contravene these existing trade obligations.2As the global trade system shifts, CPTPP and DEPA areemerging as preferable models for open, innovation-friendly digital commerce, an approach the EU is nowexploring itself through discussions of possible CPTPP accession.3Canada should be exporting these In particular, the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) restricts cross-border data transfers inways that fragment digital services, while the Digital Markets Act (DMA) hard-codes design mandates that reduce consumer choice and delay new product releases.4These rules illustrate the trade-off at the heart of theEU model: more compliance, less innovation.5Canada should not fall into the trap of substituting EU As a foundation for exploratory discussions, Canada should be guided by the following principles when 1.Prioritizeinnovation andinteroperabilityby favouring international, industry-led standards and 2.Reject adoptingEUpoliciesby not allowing rules that would lock in one regulatory model andlimit future options for governing AI, data, or digital platforms. 3.Align with CPTPP and DEPA normsby embracing cross-border e-commerce and data flowswithout the EU’s precautionary-first governance approach. 4.Reject low-benefit, high-cost provisionsby saying no to rules that burden Canadian innovatorswithout offering clear commercial upside. 5.Design for modularity and adaptabilityby structuring the agreement to evolve with technology, not The five principles above provide the strategic guardrails for any Canada–EU Digital Trade Agreement.Within those guardrails, the following recommendations address the specific issue areas raised in thegovernment’s consultation. They identify where alignment with EU approaches would risk importing theBrussels Effect into Canadian law and where targeted cooperation could advance shared interests without KEY TOPICS Keep PIPEDA’s Framework for Cross-Border Movement of Data EU policymakers often frame restrictions on the free flow of information as safeguards for privacy andcybersecurity, but in practice they are a misguided target. Meanwhile, Canada’s Personal InformationProtection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) establishes rules for organizations transferring personalinformation outside the country. While PIPEDA does not prohibit cross-border transfers, it obliges Canada should not trade its data protection principles for the EU’s approach. PIPEDA takes an organization-to-organization accountability model: Canadian organizations are responsible for ensuring that third partiesprovide a comparable level of data protection before transfers occur. While PIPEDA’s principles are widelyaligned with CPTPP and APEC’s Cross-Border Privacy Enforcement Arrangement (CPEA), they contrast Locking GDPR concepts such as adequacy determinations or consent-based transfer rules into a Canada–EUDigital Trade Agreement (DTA) would raise compliance costs, discourage efficient cross-border data use, and slow the deployment of AI, analytics, and digital services.7These mechanisms impose significant complianceburdens, introduce legal uncertainty, and fragment data architectures, functioning as trade ba