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North America

Canada and the United States have signed about 180 investment agreements.

They are both party to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) with Mexico. Sixty-seven disputes were launched under NAFTA.

NAFTA was recently renegotiated and replaced by the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) that was signed in November 2018 and is yet to enter in force. The investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) mechanism between the US and Canada, and between Mexico and Canada has been removed – even though it is included in the Trans-Pacific Partnership, to which both Mexico and Canada belong. Only limited claims are allowed between the US and Mexico, after exhaustion of local remedies. But the ISDS mechanism has been maintained between the two countries for claims pertaining to Mexico’s oil and gas sector.

The US is also party to the Dominican Republic–Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA), with six Central American states. US investors have initiated all 11 known CAFTA disputes.

Canada has an investment treaty with China and is party to the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) with the European Union. CETA includes a revised ISDS mechanism, the investment court system, which has been critiqued for not addressing the core of the problem behind the mechanism.

US investors have extensively used the ISDS mechanism. They have initiated around 180 disputes, over 17% of all known cases, making the US the most frequent home state of investors. The US has never lost an ISDS case.

Canadian investors have initiated about 50 disputes and Canada has been the fourth most frequent target among ‘developed’ states (9th globally), with 29 cases.

Photo: Public Citizen

(April 2020)

Tribunal de EEUU confirma laudo por US$ 8.750 millones a la petrolera Conoco por pérdida de activos en Venezuela
Reuters | 25-Aug-2022
Una corte de Estados Unidos confirmó en una decisión el viernes el laudo de US$ 8.750 millones otorgado por un tribunal a la petrolera estadounidense ConocoPhillips por la expropiación de sus activos en Venezuela.
energy , investor-state disputes | ISDS , US , Venezuela
Tanzanie : Montero réclame 70,2 millions $ à l’Etat pour expropriation à Wigu Hill
Ecofin | 24-Aug-2022
La compagnie minière Montero Mining réclame 90 millions de dollars canadiens comme dommages et intérêts en réparation du préjudice causé par l’expropriation du projet de terres rares Wigu Hill en 2018.
Canada , investor-state disputes | ISDS , mining , Tanzania
Montero Mining seeks CAD$ 90,000,000 in damages from the Tanzanian Government for expropriation of the Wigu Hill project
Junior Mining Network | 24-Aug-2022
Montero Mining and Exploration Ltd. is seeking compensation of CAD$ 90 million from Tanzania over the expropriation of the Wigu Hill Rare Earth Element Project.
Canada , investor-state disputes | ISDS , mining , Tanzania
US court upholds Conoco’s $8.7 bln award for loss of Venezuela assets
Reuters | 24-Aug-2022
A US court upheld a tribunal’s $8.75 billion award to U.S. oil producer ConocoPhillips over the expropriation of its Venezuelan oil assets, granting a default judgment in the case.
energy , investor-state disputes | ISDS , US , Venezuela
Arrêtez la ratification de l’AÉCG !
Trade Justice Network | 23-Aug-2022
Nous, organisations de la société civile canadienne et allemande, exprimons notre opposition à l’AÉCG, qui protège les intérêts des entreprises au détriment de l’action climatique, environnementale et sociale et de la prise de décision démocratique.
Canada , EU , Germany , investor-state disputes | ISDS
Stop the ratification of CETA! A joint statement by German and Canadian civil society groups
Trade Justice Network | 23-Aug-2022
We Canadian and German civil society organizations express our continued opposition to CETA, which protects corporate interests at the expense of climate, environmental and social action and democratic decision-making.
Canada , EU , Germany , investor-state disputes | ISDS
Congresistas de EEUU piden a la Casa Blanca no apoyar a minera que obvió consulta en Guatemala
Prensa Comunitaria | 8-Aug-2022
Doce congresistas estadounidenses pidieron al representante del departamento de Estado, Antony Blinken, no prestar servicios diplomáticos a la empresa minera Kappes, estar atentos ante anomalías en los procesos de consulta comunitaria y arbitraje internacional, proteger a integrantes de la resistencia antiminera de la Puya.
Guatemala , investor-state disputes | ISDS , mining , US
Un tribunal ALENA de l’affaire Westmoreland c. Canada infirme sa compétence, considérant que le demandeur ne détenait ou ne contrôlait pas l’investissement au moment de la violation alléguée
IISD | 6-Jul-2022
Le différend portait sur un investissement réalisé par Westmoreland Coal Company, une entreprise enregistrée aux États-Unis, dans deux entreprises canadiennes en avril 2014.
Canada , energy , investor-state disputes | ISDS , NAFTA | USMCA , US
NAFTA tribunal in Westmoreland v. Canada declines jurisdiction, finding that the claimant did not own or control the investment at the time of the alleged breach
IISD | 6-Jul-2022
The dispute pertained to an investment made by Westmoreland Coal Company, a US‑incorporated company, in two Canadian enterprises in April 2014.
Canada , energy , investor-state disputes | ISDS , NAFTA | USMCA , US
ITACO launches multi-billion dollar arbitration against Vietnam
Business Wire | 5-Jul-2022
Tan Tao Investment & Industry Corporation launched a billion-dollar arbitration proceeding against Vietnam under the agreement between the United States and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.
investor-state disputes | ISDS , services , US , Vietnam