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International Economic Policy Council

Trade and International Policy

International Economic Policy Council

Canada’s prosperity is strongly dependent on  its access to international markets , and its ability to compete for international investment and talent. There is a critical need to ensure that Canada’s approach to international economic relations is proactive, strategic, and evidence-based. 

The C.D. Howe Institute’s International Economic Policy program provides essential policy intelligence to policy and business leaders seeking to navigate the rapidly-evolving global competitive environment.

The Program  publishes  research papers and convenes  policy conferences, roundtables and informal events and discussions. There are three core areas of research: increasing Canada’s competitiveness by better capturing the benefits of open trade and investment; prioritizing and concluding successful trade and investment agreements; and understanding and influencing rules and issues affecting Canadians in the global marketplace.

The  Council provides guidance and support to the program and meets periodically to review and discuss its output and impact, and to discuss relevant issues as they arise. The program’s research and publication activities are led by Daniel Schwanen, an award-winning economist with an extensive track record of influential research on cross-border trade and investment matters.

Co-Chairs

Marta Morgan

Former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Government of Canada

Pierre S. Pettigrew

Former Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister for International Trade

Members

Stuart Bergman

Chief Economist & Vice President, Export Development Canada

Catherine Cobden

President and Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Steel Producers Association

Dawn Desjardins

Chief Economist, Deloitte

Robert Dimitrieff

President, Patriot Forge Co.

Rick Ekstein

President and CEO, Phaze 3 Associates

Luisa Fernandez-Willey

Principal Economist, CN Railway

Carolina Gallo

Vice-President, Canada Energy Transition, GE Vernova

Sarah Goldfeder

Executive Director, Government Relations and Corporate Affairs, General Motors of Canada

Victor Gomez

AVP, Government and Regulatory Affairs, Sun Life Financial

Lawrence Hanson

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food

Caroline Hughes

VP, Government Relations, Ford Motor Company of Canada, Limited

Jim Keon

President, Canadian Generic Pharmaceutical Association

Jean-Marc Leclerc

President and CEO, Honda Canada Inc.

Meredith Lilly

Associate Professor and Simon Reisman Chair in International Economic Policy, Carleton University

Scott MacKenzie

Director, Corporate & External Affairs, Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada Inc.

Brendan Marshall

Principal Advisor, Rio Tinto

Michael McAdoo

Associate Director, Boston Consulting Group

Marcella Munro

Head of Government & Regulatory Affairs, Teck Resources

Jeanette Patell

Director of Government Affairs & Public Policy, Canada, Google

Sajid Rizvi

Executive Vice President, Corporate Development & Capital Markets, Baffinland Iron Mines

Robert Smith

Chief Executive Officer, Livingston International

Rob Stewart

Deputy Minister of International Trade

Aaron Sydor

Director, Trade and Economic Analysis, Department of Global Affairs Canada

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