Published in the Globe and Mail The collapse of trade negotiations in Washington last week should come as no surprise. Given unacceptable U.S. demands, some that surfaced at the eleventh hour, Prime Minister Mark Carney was correct in ending the talks, recalling the team and confirming that Canada will be retaliating, dollar for dollar, against the latest […]
Published in the Globe and Mail. Let’s enter the world of fantasy for a moment and assume that somehow Alberta were to become a totally separate country, a kind of North American “Alberta-stan.” While a far-fetched scenario, it’s instructive to consider what this would mean for Alberta, both geopolitically and in terms of its standing under international […]
From: Lawrence Herman To: Albertans pondering separation Date: August 19, 2026 Re: An Independent Alberta Would Face a Long and Winding Trade Road Let’s enter the world of fantasy for a moment and assume that somehow Alberta were to become a totally separate country – “Albertastan.” While far-fetched, it’s instructive to consider what this would mean, both geopolitically and in […]
18 août 2026 – Alors que les droits de douane de 50 % menacés par les États-Unis pourraient entrer en vigueur demain, un nouveau document de travail de l’Institut C.D. Howe examine le différend concernant le système canadien d’attribution des contingents tarifaires (CT) pour le fromage. Il conclut que les changements réclamés par les États-Unis […]
August 18, 2026 – With threatened 50 percent US tariffs set to take effect tomorrow, a new C.D. Howe Institute working paper examines the dispute over Canada’s cheese tariff-rate quota (TRQ) allocation system, finding that changes sought by the United States could impose costs on Canadian dairy processors and, ultimately, dairy producers. In “A Slice […]
By Al Mussell Canada’s tariff-rate quotas (TRQs) provide access for cheese imports at low or zero tariffs, but how those quotas are allocated matters. TRQ holders can earn economic rents by importing at lower world prices and selling into Canada’s higher-priced supply-managed market, while allocating TRQs to domestic processors can help mitigate disruption to Canada’s […]
From: Jerzy Konieczny To: Trade diversification watchers Date: July 30, 2026 Re: The US Tariff Shock Exposes Canada’s Real Trade Failure Last week’s announcements of sweeping new US tariffs on many Canadian products – including goods that qualify under CUSMA – are another reminder that Canada’s lack of export diversification is a strategic vulnerability. The issue is not that Canada trades too much with the United States. The issue is that Canadian firms […]
As tariffs push Canada to diversify its exports, transportation infrastructure is becoming a critical competitive advantage. Over the 12 months ending in May 2026, road transport carried 36 percent of Canada’s export value, more than any other mode. That dominance reflects the country’s deep reliance on the United States, the only market Canadian trucks can […]
Published in the The Hill Times. When Canada went into its recent review of the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement, debate centred on tariffs, market access, and potential job losses. Those concerns are well-founded. More than 70 per cent of Canadian merchandise exports go to the United States, accounting for more than 2.5 million Canadian jobs, with many more linked […]
From: Charles Lammam To: Infrastructure observers Date: July 22, 2026 Re: Trade Diversification Ambitions Face a Container Port Reality Alberta recently submitted its West Coast pipeline proposal to Ottawa’s Major Projects Office, a major plank in the federal government’s goal to double exports to non-US markets by 2035. For that to succeed, more of Canada’s exports will need to move by water, already the largest mode for non-U.S. trade by value. And container shipping is part of that. So how do Canada’s container […]
From: Lawrence Herman To: CUSMA watchers Date: July 14, 2026 Re: Fortress North America is a Threat to Canada’s Sovereignty It comes as no surprise that the United States has refused to extend CUSMA for another 16 years. That outcome was foreseen for weeks by anyone following Donald Trump’s MAGA trade agenda. In fact, the whole review process in the agreement […]
Published in The Globe and Mail. It comes as no surprise that the U.S. has refused to extend the USMCA for another 16 years. That outcome was foreseen for weeks by anyone following Donald Trump’s MAGA trade agenda. In fact, the whole review process in the agreement is largely a sham, designed to give maximum leverage to […]
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Published in the Globe and Mail The collapse of trade negotiations in Washington last week should come as no surprise. Given unacceptable U.S. demands, some that surfaced at the eleventh hour, Prime Minister Mark Carney was correct in ending the talks, recalling the team and confirming that Canada will be retaliating, dollar for dollar, against the latest […] 
Published in the Globe and Mail. Let’s enter the world of fantasy for a moment and assume that somehow Alberta were to become a totally separate country, a kind of North American “Alberta-stan.” While a far-fetched scenario, it’s instructive to consider what this would mean for Alberta, both geopolitically and in terms of its standing under international […] 
From: Lawrence Herman To: Albertans pondering separation Date: August 19, 2026 Re: An Independent Alberta Would Face a Long and Winding Trade Road Let’s enter the world of fantasy for a moment and assume that somehow Alberta were to become a totally separate country – “Albertastan.” While far-fetched, it’s instructive to consider what this would mean, both geopolitically and in […] 
18 août 2026 – Alors que les droits de douane de 50 % menacés par les États-Unis pourraient entrer en vigueur demain, un nouveau document de travail de l’Institut C.D. Howe examine le différend concernant le système canadien d’attribution des contingents tarifaires (CT) pour le fromage. Il conclut que les changements réclamés par les États-Unis […] 
By Al Mussell Canada’s tariff-rate quotas (TRQs) provide access for cheese imports at low or zero tariffs, but how those quotas are allocated matters. TRQ holders can earn economic rents by importing at lower world prices and selling into Canada’s higher-priced supply-managed market, while allocating TRQs to domestic processors can help mitigate disruption to Canada’s […] 
From: Jerzy Konieczny To: Trade diversification watchers Date: July 30, 2026 Re: The US Tariff Shock Exposes Canada’s Real Trade Failure Last week’s announcements of sweeping new US tariffs on many Canadian products – including goods that qualify under CUSMA – are another reminder that Canada’s lack of export diversification is a strategic vulnerability. The issue is not that Canada trades too much with the United States. The issue is that Canadian firms […] 
As tariffs push Canada to diversify its exports, transportation infrastructure is becoming a critical competitive advantage. Over the 12 months ending in May 2026, road transport carried 36 percent of Canada’s export value, more than any other mode. That dominance reflects the country’s deep reliance on the United States, the only market Canadian trucks can […] 
Published in the The Hill Times. When Canada went into its recent review of the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement, debate centred on tariffs, market access, and potential job losses. Those concerns are well-founded. More than 70 per cent of Canadian merchandise exports go to the United States, accounting for more than 2.5 million Canadian jobs, with many more linked […] 
From: Charles Lammam To: Infrastructure observers Date: July 22, 2026 Re: Trade Diversification Ambitions Face a Container Port Reality Alberta recently submitted its West Coast pipeline proposal to Ottawa’s Major Projects Office, a major plank in the federal government’s goal to double exports to non-US markets by 2035. For that to succeed, more of Canada’s exports will need to move by water, already the largest mode for non-U.S. trade by value. And container shipping is part of that. So how do Canada’s container […] 
From: Lawrence Herman To: CUSMA watchers Date: July 14, 2026 Re: Fortress North America is a Threat to Canada’s Sovereignty It comes as no surprise that the United States has refused to extend CUSMA for another 16 years. That outcome was foreseen for weeks by anyone following Donald Trump’s MAGA trade agenda. In fact, the whole review process in the agreement […]