Canada must realize that a strong economy comes from a strong military – Globe and Mail
Canada is a trading nation. Trade keeps the economy working, vital to the well-being of every Canadian. Securing and maintaining the country’s trade is thus one of the topmost responsibilities of the federal government, requiring skill, determination and a strategic focus on the national interest.
That means ensuring, among other things, that Canada’s weak performance in defence and security doesn’t spill over and harm the country’s key trading relationships, particularly when it comes to dealing with the United States, our biggest economic partner. The danger is that this spillover could well happen.
Former U.S. president Donald Trump caused a stir recently with his threat to NATO allies for not spending enough…
This year, the West will fight China in the epic electric-vehicle trade war – Globe and Mail
Standing back and looking at today’s global trading picture, one can see that it’s not pretty – destabilized by the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, by the unsettled multilateral situation at the World Trade Organization and by innumerable regional trade disputes.
Most important among the issues, though, is the looming clash between the West and China over electric vehicles (EVs), which is set to dominate this year’s trade agenda.
This fight is shaping up to be an epic battle, covering a wide swath of minerals critical to EV production and with implications reaching deep into national decarbonization policies and supply chains, not only for the Canadian automotive industry but for a large array of businesses…
Daniel Schwanen — Preparing Ontario SMEs for the supply chains of the future: Part 1
To: Canadians concerned about small business growth amidst reconfiguration of supply chains From: Daniel Schwanen Re: Preparing Ontario SMEs for supply chains of the future – getting the big picture right Date: December 22, 2023 While supply chain challenges of the pandemic era and its immediate aftermath seem to have abated at the global level, […]Daniel Schwanen — Preparing Ontario SMEs for supply chains of the future: Part 2
To: Canadians concerned about small business growth amidst reconfiguration of supply chains From: Daniel Schwanen Re: Preparing Ontario SMEs for supply chains of the future – getting the big picture right – II Date: December 22, 2023 My previous Intelligence Memo focused on the overarching importance for Ontario’s economy of being home to firms that […]Putting Together a Holiday Dinner Basket
We at the C.D. Howe Institute wish you a happy holiday season. We also wish we could wish you an affordable one. We asked how big a bite a holiday dinner for ten would take out of the average weekly wage of a worker in Canada, Australia, the UK and the United States. The painful answer is […] How the Price of Milk Threatens Canada’s Auto Industry with Bill Robson and Martha Hall Findlay
How would the price of milk threaten Canada’s auto industry? Bill C-282 risks upturning trade negotiations with the world, especially our biggest trading partner. And if Donald Trump returns to the White House, Martha Hall Findlay tells the Institute’s Bill Robson and Michael Hainsworth that all bets are off.
Jon Johnson – CUSMA and Dairy – Round Two
From: Jon Johnson To: Canadian Trade Watchers Date: December 11, 2023 Re: CUSMA and Dairy – Round Two Shortly after CUSMA came into effect in 2020, the US challenged Canadian practices in administering the tariff rate quotas (TRQs) for the 14 dairy products that comprise Canada’s dairy supply management system. Under a TRQ, a limited […]Peter Hall – India: Opportunity Lost?
From: Peter Hall To: International trade watchers Date: December 6, 2023 Re: India: Opportunity Lost? It couldn’t be happening. Years of careful and painstaking cultivation of political, cultural and business relations with India suddenly seem in tatters. A G20 summit in New Delhi in September where Canada seemed to be sidelined, followed by shocking and very public […]Lawrence Herman – Canada’s Digital Tax Ship Still Sails Even as Rollout is Delayed
From: Lawrence Herman To: Canadian trade observers Date: November 28, 2023 Re: Canada’s Digital Tax Ship Still Sails Even as Rollout is Delayed The Fall Economic Statement confirmed the federal government’s intention to eventually proceed with its Digital Services Tax (DST), a measure proposed back in 2020, even as it postponed its January 1 implementation. Under the proposal, Ottawa […]