Energy Trade Issues: Canadian Experiences and Implications for Bangladesh

This paper identifies areas of common interest for Bangladesh in terms of energy use and energy trade through an examination of Canada’s experience in developing its energy sector. The paper outlines the general principles and provisions applicable to energy trade under the World Trade Organization (WTO), and examines how issues of energy security and regional cooperation are dealt with in NAFTA. The paper also provides an overview of Canada’s transition from a highly regulated energy regime to the implementation of deregulation and liberalization of trade and investment and its impact on the natural gas industry and it also focuses on the role of institutions in the regulation of Canada’s energy sector. The study attempts to examine what lessons may be drawn for Bangladesh from the Canadian experience of the development and regulation of the energy sector.