The Trade and Economic Impact of the CUSMA: Making Sense of the Alternative Estimates
June 30, 2020 – The new North American trade deal takes effect on July 1 amid heightened uncertainty about its likely impacts. The effect of the COVID-19 crisis on supply chains, the digital transformation of the economy, and the possibility of the US reimposing aluminum and steel tariffs all cloud the potential effects of the […] The perfect stimulus for cash-strapped governments – Globe and Mail Op-Ed
The beginning of summer has brought welcome news about Canada’s economy and Canadians’ prospects after a spring devastated by COVID-19. Measures of activity and confidence, even numbers of jobs, are up from the lows of March and April. But we still have a long way to go.
Millions of Canadians are still working less than they were, or not at all, and the reopening of the economy will be too slow and sporadic to save thousands of businesses. In past recessions, governments have provided fiscal stimulus, notably through infrastructure projects to speed recovery, so it is natural to hope for a similar spending boost this time.
Fulfilling that hope will be a challenge, however. Projects big enough to move the economic needle…
Dan Ciuriak on BNN – NAFTA 2.0 will be up against ‘supply chain disruption’
Dan Ciuriak, fellow at the C.D. Howe Institute and former deputy chief economist of Global Affairs Canada, joins BNN Bloomberg to discuss his views on the NAFTA 2.0 deal kickoff amid the COVID-19 pandemic and what challenges lie ahead for US-Canada trade ties.
Jon Johnson – Relief From Threat Of Section 232 Tariffs: End Of The Road
From: Jon Johnson To: Canadians Concerned About Section 232 Tariffs Date: June 24, 2020 Re: Relief from Threat of Section 232 Tariffs – End of the Road Section 232 of the US Trade Expansion Act of 1962, which grants to the president broad powers to “adjust” imports that the Commerce Department finds threaten national security, […] Accelerate Infrastructure Projects and Adapt Restructuring Processes: Crisis Working Group on Business Continuity and Trade
June 17, 2020 – Accelerating productivity-enhancing infrastructure projects could provide much-needed stimulus and help Canada’s economy recover from the COVID-19 crisis, according to a C.D. Howe Institute Crisis Working Group.
The Crisis Working Group on Business Continuity and Trade, in its most recent meetings on May 26 and June 2, 2020, also emphasized the need for adapting Canada’s bankruptcy and restructuring process to cope with the potential for widespread insolvencies.
The group of industry experts and economists, co-chaired by Dwight Duncan, Senior Strategic Advisor at McMillan LLP and former Ontario Minister of Finance, and Jeanette Patell, Vice-President of Government Affairs and Policy for GE Canada,…
When the pandemic subsides, preserving the arts must be a top priority for governments – Globe and Mail Op-Ed
One of the tragedies of the COVID-19 crisis is its devastation of arts and culture organizations in this country. Even with emergency support by the federal government, the future for many of these groups is uncertain. As the economy slowly opens up, crowd restrictions and social distancing will mean galleries, museums and the performing arts generally (theatre, music, dance), will face tremendous challenges. Many see a dim and uncertain horizon ahead as revenues shrink or disappear.
Financial struggles were a long-standing a fact of life for the arts community well before the pandemic crisis. Notwithstanding pre-pandemic increases in public funding, including the injection of new money for the Canada Council, public financing…
Jon Johnson – Cusma Uniform Regulations: Better Late Than Never
From: Jon Johnson To: Global Affairs Canada and the Canadian Automotive Industry Date: June 10, 2020 Re: CUSMA Uniform Regulations – Better Late Than Never On June 3, the United States Trade Representative published a draft of the Uniform Regulations (Draft URs) for the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA). These are of critical importance to the […] Jon Johnson – The Cusma Cultural Exemption: Minuses And Pluses
From: Jon Johnson To: Global Affairs Canada Date: June 1, 2020 Re: The CUSMA Cultural Exemption – Minuses and Pluses Canadian trade negotiators have always bargained hard to preserve Canada’s ability to protect and encourage Canadian culture through ownership or content requirements by exempting cultural industries from the non-discrimination provisions in trade agreements. Canada secured […] COVID-19 has stimulated a slew of ideas about how to revitalize the WTO in a post-pandemic world – Financial Post Op-Ed
We talk about saving the world from COVID-19. We also need to talk about saving global bodies like the World Trade Organization. Last week’s announcement of the early departure of WTO Director-General Roberto Azevedo creates an opening for some reassessment of its future role.
Once considered a paramount achievement in global institution-building, the WTO has been in difficulty since the Doha Round of negotiations collapsed over a decade ago. Endless squabbling among governments over its agenda and the recent paralysis of its dispute-settlement system as a result of U.S. stonewalling has only made things worse.
Now comes COVID-19, unleashing new tensions in international trade. On the one hand is the need to keep supply…
Jon Johnson – Constitutional Challenge To Section 232: Last Chance
From: Jon Johnson To: Canadians Concerned About Section 232 Tariffs Date: April 23, 2020 Re: Constitutional Challenge to Section 232 – Last Chance The challenge by the American Institute for International Steel, Inc. (AIIS) to the constitutionality of Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 is entering its final stage. The Trump administration […] Canada Needs Playbook for Restarting Economy: C.D. Howe Institute Crisis Working Group on Business Continuity and Trade
April 17, 2020 – Canada needs firm principles and timelines for a graduated return to work, according to a new report from a C.D. Howe Institute Crisis Working Group.
At its latest meeting on Tuesday, April 14, the Working Group on Business Continuity and Trade discussed the need for a “playbook” to restart Canada’s economy, the implementation of supports for businesses to “bridge” the present shutdown, and the importance of continued investment in robust telecommunications infrastructure to meet the current surge in demand.
The group of economists and industry experts is co-chaired by Dwight Duncan, Senior Strategic Advisor at McMillan LLP and former Ontario Minister of Finance, and Jeanette Patell, Vice-President of…
Canada Must Be Champion of Open Trade: C.D. Howe Institute Crisis Working Group on Business Continuity and Trade
April 9, 2020 – Canada must champion open international trade and remain an ‘honest partner’ in the face of a worrying trend among G7 nations towards export restrictions on critical goods, says the C.D. Howe Institute’s Crisis Working Group on Business Continuity and Trade.
The group of economists and industry experts, co-chaired by Dwight Duncan, Senior Strategic Advisor at McMillan LLP and former Ontario Minister of Finance, and Jeanette Patell, Vice-President of Government Affairs and Policy for GE Canada, held its third meeting on Tuesday, April 7, 2020. They emphasized that open international trade is essential to Canada – both in the immediate crisis and for the long-term. The working group observed a worrisome tide…