To: Alberta referendum voters From: Edy Wong Date: September 16, 2026 Re: Alberta’s International Competitiveness: An Economic Perspective on the Referendum Debate This is the third in a series the C.D. Howe Institute is presenting to better inform the public about the policy issues and complexities of the potential separation of Alberta, and its consequences […]
To: Concerned Canadians From: Jeremy M. Kronick and Kate Koplovich Date: September 14, 2026 Re: Introducing an Alberta Referendum Series: From Talking Points to Realities Canada is at a pivotal moment in its history. We are repositioning ourselves as a country open to investment. But we do so alongside headwinds. Trade uncertainty with our largest […]
From: Charles Lammam To: Infrastructure observers Date: September 10, 2026 Re: Canada’s Ports Needed Fixing Long Before Trump and Export Diversification Hove into View The escalating tariff tit-for-tat with the United States underscores the importance of the federal government’s goal of doubling Canada’s non-US exports by 2035, a goal likely to get fresh attention next week when Ottawa hosts […]
From: Lawrence Herman To: Trade talk watchers Date: August 31, 2026 Re: We Should Have Pulled the Plug on CUSMA Talks Earlier The collapse of trade negotiations in Washington should have been no surprise. Given unacceptable US demands, some that surfaced at the 11th hour, Prime Minister Mark Carney was correct in ending the talks, recalling the team and […]
To: Trade Observers From: Steve Verheul Re: Why Canada Walked Away, And What to Consider for the Future Summary of remarks made by the author at a special webinar for C.D. Howe Institute members, August 25, 2026 As late as Tuesday August 18, there was an outline of a proposal which looked like both Canada […]
Published in The Toronto Star. In 1988, Canada took a historic “leap of faith” (to borrow the words of the Macdonald Royal Commission) and entered into a free-trade agreement with the United States. Some four decades later, that leap has landed with a thud. After months of acrimony and fruitless negotiation with the bullying Trump […]
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 […]
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To: Alberta referendum voters From: Edy Wong Date: September 16, 2026 Re: Alberta’s International Competitiveness: An Economic Perspective on the Referendum Debate This is the third in a series the C.D. Howe Institute is presenting to better inform the public about the policy issues and complexities of the potential separation of Alberta, and its consequences […] 
To: Concerned Canadians From: Jeremy M. Kronick and Kate Koplovich Date: September 14, 2026 Re: Introducing an Alberta Referendum Series: From Talking Points to Realities Canada is at a pivotal moment in its history. We are repositioning ourselves as a country open to investment. But we do so alongside headwinds. Trade uncertainty with our largest […] 
From: Charles Lammam To: Infrastructure observers Date: September 10, 2026 Re: Canada’s Ports Needed Fixing Long Before Trump and Export Diversification Hove into View The escalating tariff tit-for-tat with the United States underscores the importance of the federal government’s goal of doubling Canada’s non-US exports by 2035, a goal likely to get fresh attention next week when Ottawa hosts […] 
From: Lawrence Herman To: Trade talk watchers Date: August 31, 2026 Re: We Should Have Pulled the Plug on CUSMA Talks Earlier The collapse of trade negotiations in Washington should have been no surprise. Given unacceptable US demands, some that surfaced at the 11th hour, Prime Minister Mark Carney was correct in ending the talks, recalling the team and […] 
To: Trade Observers From: Steve Verheul Re: Why Canada Walked Away, And What to Consider for the Future Summary of remarks made by the author at a special webinar for C.D. Howe Institute members, August 25, 2026 As late as Tuesday August 18, there was an outline of a proposal which looked like both Canada […] 
Published in The Toronto Star. In 1988, Canada took a historic “leap of faith” (to borrow the words of the Macdonald Royal Commission) and entered into a free-trade agreement with the United States. Some four decades later, that leap has landed with a thud. After months of acrimony and fruitless negotiation with the bullying Trump […] 
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 […]