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 […]
From: Lawrence Herman To: Trade observers Date: June 30, 2026 Re: Trump’s Free Trade Distaste is More Than a Bargaining Ploy Any lingering hope about the survival of any kind of North American free-trade area – let alone the CUSMA itself – was put to rest two weeks ago with Donald Trump saying he is “not looking to renew” the agreement […]
One question for the United States will be how CUSMA can help reduce its trade imbalances, especially in manufactured end products with the rest of the world. While the US has a substantial deficit with Mexico in that category, somewhat offset by net exports of energy and industrial materials, the US registers a surplus with […]
Published in The Globe and Mail. Any lingering hope about the survival of any kind of North American free-trade area – let alone the USMCA itself – was put to rest this week with Donald Trump saying he is “not looking to renew” the agreement and that he has the right to terminate it, then repeating the […]
What leverage does Canada have heading into upcoming CUSMA negotiations and what is at stake? In this episode, Professor Meredith Lilly, former International Trade Advisor to Prime Minister Stephen Harper, joins Steve Verheul, Canada’s chief negotiator for NAFTA, to discuss Canada’s negotiating leverage, the pressures shaping North American trade, and what the next round of […]
What leverage does Canada have heading into upcoming CUSMA negotiations and what is at stake? In this episode, Professor Meredith Lilly, former International Trade Advisor to Prime Minister Stephen Harper, joins Steve Verheul, Canada’s chief negotiator for NAFTA, to discuss Canada’s negotiating leverage, the pressures shaping North American trade, and what the next round of […]
From: Lawrence Herman To: Trade observers Date: June 18, 2026 Re: Any CUSMA Extension Should Close that National Security Loophole The future of North America’s free trade deal is uncertain after Donald Trump’s musings last week about not renewing the agreement, indicating that he might terminate the deal because the United States needs nothing from Canada (or Mexico) anyway. Still, it remains likely that Canada and the United States will get down to some form of negotiation in the weeks to come. Assuming these take place, one issue at the top of Canada’s agenda should be to change the so-called “national security […]
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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 […] 
From: Lawrence Herman To: Trade observers Date: June 30, 2026 Re: Trump’s Free Trade Distaste is More Than a Bargaining Ploy Any lingering hope about the survival of any kind of North American free-trade area – let alone the CUSMA itself – was put to rest two weeks ago with Donald Trump saying he is “not looking to renew” the agreement […] 
One question for the United States will be how CUSMA can help reduce its trade imbalances, especially in manufactured end products with the rest of the world. While the US has a substantial deficit with Mexico in that category, somewhat offset by net exports of energy and industrial materials, the US registers a surplus with […] 
Published in The Globe and Mail. Any lingering hope about the survival of any kind of North American free-trade area – let alone the USMCA itself – was put to rest this week with Donald Trump saying he is “not looking to renew” the agreement and that he has the right to terminate it, then repeating the […] 
What leverage does Canada have heading into upcoming CUSMA negotiations and what is at stake? In this episode, Professor Meredith Lilly, former International Trade Advisor to Prime Minister Stephen Harper, joins Steve Verheul, Canada’s chief negotiator for NAFTA, to discuss Canada’s negotiating leverage, the pressures shaping North American trade, and what the next round of […] 
From: Lawrence Herman To: Trade observers Date: June 18, 2026 Re: Any CUSMA Extension Should Close that National Security Loophole The future of North America’s free trade deal is uncertain after Donald Trump’s musings last week about not renewing the agreement, indicating that he might terminate the deal because the United States needs nothing from Canada (or Mexico) anyway. Still, it remains likely that Canada and the United States will get down to some form of negotiation in the weeks to come. Assuming these take place, one issue at the top of Canada’s agenda should be to change the so-called “national security […]