U.S. President-elect Joe Biden defeated President Donald Trump in the November election and will be sworn in on Jan. 20 amid global and domestic tensions.

In April 2017 the U.S. imposed duties averaging about 20 per cent on most Canadian softwood exports, alleging that Canada was both unfairly subsidizing its industry and then dumping wood into the U.S. at unfair prices.

Trump and his top trade negotiator, Robert Lighthizer, are especially vociferous critics of the WTO. They argue that the trade organization constrains America's ability to counter unfair trading practices by China and other countries.

The IMF, in an updated economic outlook, projected the global economy would expand by 3% this year, the weakest in a decade.

Green Leader Elizabeth May argued that current agreements favour the rights of corporations at the expense of environmental protections.

The WTO's Appellate Body is down to three members from its normal seven, and U.S. has been blocking new appointments in an effort to force reforms.

Canada's trade minister is endorsing a European Union plan to prevent the Trump administration from paralyzing the World Trade Organization's dispute-settlement body later this year.

Canada will appeal last week's decision by the World Trade Organization (WTO) which ruled to allow the United States to use "zeroing" on Canada's softwood lumber.

A World Trade Organization ruling approved a long-outlawed U.S. trade policy on Tuesday, when a panel of adjudicators said Washington's use of "zeroing" to calculate anti-dumping tariffs was permissible in the case of Canadian softwood lumber.

China, the European Union, Canada, Mexico, Norway, and Russia are escalating the trade dispute over steel and aluminum tariffs.