Anti-Dumping at 100 Years and Counting : A Canadian Perspective

The distinction of introducing the first anti-dumping measure falls to Canada. At a time when tariffs were not bound, what made the duty special was that it could be levied administratively, rather than being enacted. In historical context, anti-dumping first made its appearance in an era that was a high season of globalization, with labor and capital able to move internationally as never before or since, but also an era marked by an awakening of economic nationalism in newly industrializing countries, and by growing angst over the power of large corporations that were emerging to exploit the economies of scale allowed by mass production, which itself was facilitated by the growth of international trade. Today, in another high season of globalization, marked by concerns over corporate globalism that evoke those of the earlier era, it is of particular interest to note a major difference: anti-dumping actions did not proliferate then but are doing so now. This paper, developed for a conference marking the 100th anniversary of Canada's historic act, considers why this is the case