Economy

Why NAFTA’s Chapter 19 is Worth Fighting For
- July 29, 2017
Canada has reportedly drawn a “red line” over Chapter 19 as the US calls for NAFTA renegotiations. That’s a good thing.

Even before the negotiations to revise and modernize NAFTA begin on 16 August, a red line has been drawn …
By Patrick Leblond
Economy, International Trade, USA
READ MORE
US Demands Won’t Lead to the NAFTA of Our Nightmares
- July 22, 2017
On July 17, the United States Trade Representative Office published the Trump administration’s detailed objectives for renegotiating the North American free-trade agreement. Contrary to President Donald Trump’s rhetoric about NAFTA in the past, the objectives document’s overall tone is very …
By Patrick Leblond
Economy, International Trade, USA
READ MORE
A New Defence Policy for a New World Disorder?
- June 12, 2017
Today’s world is sometimes described as “post-truth, post-West, post-order.” This week Canada received three maps for navigating it: first the House of Commons foreign policy speech by Minister of Foreign Affairs Chrystia Freeland, then the Defence Policy Review, and finally …
By Srdjan Vucetic
Canadian Foreign Policy, Defence and Intelligence, Economy
READ MORE
Dealing with Trump, Part 2: Charm Them with Statistics
- June 2, 2017
Given the decentralized nature of power in the United States, Ottawa’s attack plan to protect NAFTA includes a significant lobbying effort with members of Congress. Armed with detailed numbers, Canadian representatives repeatedly emphasize what is probably their strongest argument: Canada …
By Thomas Juneau
Economy, International Trade
READ MORE
Dealing with Trump, Part 1: Canada’s Success (So Far)
- June 1, 2017
Few countries have more to lose economically from a hostile Donald Trump administration than Canada. The country’s prosperity is largely dependent on privileged access to the US market: about 75 percent of Canadian exports are sold in the United States, …
By Thomas Juneau
Economy, International Trade
READ MORE
The G7 Disruptor
- June 1, 2017
The G7 is traditionally praised for its solidarity and collegiality, but the May 26–27 summit saw a very fragile partnership with an unapologetic disruptor at the table. The summit, and the NATO summit the day before, had its technical successes, …
By John Sinclair
Canadian Foreign Policy, Defence and Intelligence, Economy, Environment
READ MORE

Geopolitical Policy Challenges on a New Canadian Path, Part 2: The New Leadership and Canada
- May 3, 2017
Following on Part 1, this section extends the discussion of disrupting factors to explore what could be key changes and how Canada might respond to a new global order. For Part 1 of this post, click here.

Canadian public …
By John Sinclair
Canadian Foreign Policy, Economy, USA
READ MORE
Geopolitical Policy Challenges on a New Canadian Path, Part 1: New Disrupting Forces
- May 3, 2017
Canada needs to move beyond a policy perspective largely shaped by relations with the US and EU and build upon partnerships with the Global South.

The future is always hard to predict, but we already know that there is …
By John Sinclair
Canadian Foreign Policy, Economy, USA
READ MORE
Trump vs. the Climate, Round 1
- April 6, 2017
Trump’s executive order, “Promoting Energy Independence and Economic Growth,” is the latest and perhaps most wide-ranging assault on climate change policy under the Obama administration in the US. Much has already been said about it, with excellent commentaries …
By Matthew Paterson
Economy, Environment, USA
READ MORE
Harper Lite? The Trudeau Government on Foreign Aid
- April 2, 2017
Shifting from petty and mean to sunny ways, Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government has done a remarkable job of changing the tone of Canada’s international engagement. When it comes to foreign aid, however, the rhetoric has not been matched by action. …
By Stephen Brown
Canadian Foreign Policy, Economy, International Development
READ MORE
Changes South of the Border Offer both Challenges and Opportunities for Sustainable Agriculture in Canada
- February 23, 2017
By Ryan M. Katz-Rosene, Marie-Josée Massicotte, and Christopher Kelly-Bisson

A number of obstacles presently stand in the way of efforts to make Canada’s agricultural system more sustainable. A heavy reliance on chemical inputs, industrial processing, and long distances between farm …
By Ryan Katz-Rosene
Canadian Foreign Policy, Economy, Environment
READ MORE
Tax Carbon, Not Meat Part 2: Fossil Fuels are the Climate Problem, not Animals
- February 13, 2017
Besides the various agricultural production practices outlined in part one of this blog, many cite the atmospheric impacts of farm animals themselves as a reason to tax meat. However, direct GHG emissions from animals, known as “biospheric emissions,” are qualitatively …
By Ryan Katz-Rosene
Economy, Environment
READ MORE