April 14, 2025 – US President Donald Trump’s April 2nd tariff announcement and subsequent 90-day pause offers critical lessons for Canada – especially with potential trade and security negotiations on the horizon, according to a new C.D. Howe Institute report. A new Communiqué from the C.D. Howe Institute’s Trade Crisis Working Group, which met on […]
The Trump administration’s tariff and trade policy announcements on April 2 – and the subsequent 90-day pause on proposed “reciprocal” tariffs, later revised by post-market customs guidance on April 11 to exclude up to $322 billion annually in consumer and producer electronics imports – offer salient lessons for Canada as it prepares for the possibility […]
Published in the Financial Post. Donald Trump’s decision to pause his “reciprocal” tariffs for 90 days doesn’t affect Canada. His Rose Garden event last week didn’t impose any such tariffs on us or Mexico. But we do still face previously-announced tariffs on autos, aluminium, steel, oil and potash that will seriously harm our economy. And more may […]
Canadians are aware that there remain many important – and silly – barriers to trade within Canada, and that we can ill-afford the cost of these barriers to East-West trade, especially given the furious headwinds against North-South trade coming out of the White House. However, it would be wrong to suggest that there has not been important progress in reducing these barriers.
To: Canada’s trade warriors From: William B.P. RobsonDate: April 7, 2025Re: Next Up: A Fight with Trump Over the GST The “reciprocal” tariff rates announced by Donald Trump on last week were worse than expected – not only because they were high, but because the calculations behind them were absurd. The idea that a country’s trade balance with the […]
Published in The Globe and Mail At his news conference following U.S. President Donald Trump’s reciprocal tariff announcements on April 3, Prime Minister Mark Carney repeated the point he had been making for weeks: removing internal trade barriers across the country would be part of his government’s strategy to counter the American threats to Canada’s […]
April 4, 2025 – Canada is facing threats to its economic security and territorial integrity from the US. Responding to these threats is job one, but Canada’s next government must not lose sight of the need to strengthen its economy, according to a new report from the C.D. Howe Institute. In “An Economic Strategy for […]
Canada is facing threats, and responding to them is job one. But our next government must not lose sight of the longer-term need to reduce our dependence on the US, raise our prosperity, to defend our sovereignty, and put Canada’s debt on a sustainable path.
Published in The Globe and Mail. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent recently said that President Donald Trump’s reciprocal tariff scheme, due on April 2, will feature country-specific rates. What that means for Canada, like all U.S. trading partners, depends on which real or imagined transgressions Mr. Trump and his officials use to justify their actions. […]
Bill Robson, president and CEO of the C.D. Howe Institute, says federal leaders must protect Canada’s tax system if Trump decides to target Canada’s GST.
April 1, 2025 – Interprovincial trade barriers continue to constrain Canada’s economic potential, and stronger regulatory cooperation is needed to spur growth, according to a new report from the C.D. Howe Institute. In “Eyes on the Prize: A Game Plan to Speed Up Removal of Internal Trade Barriers in Canada,” Ryan Manucha highlights that interprovincial […]
Canada’s governments are party to the Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA), which instituted a novel venue for the resolution of interprovincial trade barriers: the Regulatory Reconciliation and Cooperation Table (RCT). Drawing on cross-country interviews with key experts and players involved in the efforts to reduce internal trade barriers in Canada, this paper proposes a set of recommendations for the RCT process to generate improved results going forward.
Membership Application
Interested in becoming a Member of the C.D. Howe Institute? Please fill out the application form below and our team will be in touch with next steps. Note that Membership is subject to approval.
"*" indicates required fields
Member Login
Not a Member yet? Visit our Membership page to learn more and apply.
The Trump administration’s tariff and trade policy announcements on April 2 – and the subsequent 90-day pause on proposed “reciprocal” tariffs, later revised by post-market customs guidance on April 11 to exclude up to $322 billion annually in consumer and producer electronics imports – offer salient lessons for Canada as it prepares for the possibility […] 
Canadians are aware that there remain many important – and silly – barriers to trade within Canada, and that we can ill-afford the cost of these barriers to East-West trade, especially given the furious headwinds against North-South trade coming out of the White House. However, it would be wrong to suggest that there has not been important progress in reducing these barriers. 
To: Canada’s trade warriors From: William B.P. RobsonDate: April 7, 2025Re: Next Up: A Fight with Trump Over the GST The “reciprocal” tariff rates announced by Donald Trump on last week were worse than expected – not only because they were high, but because the calculations behind them were absurd. The idea that a country’s trade balance with the […] 
Published in The Globe and Mail At his news conference following U.S. President Donald Trump’s reciprocal tariff announcements on April 3, Prime Minister Mark Carney repeated the point he had been making for weeks: removing internal trade barriers across the country would be part of his government’s strategy to counter the American threats to Canada’s […] 
Canada is facing threats, and responding to them is job one. But our next government must not lose sight of the longer-term need to reduce our dependence on the US, raise our prosperity, to defend our sovereignty, and put Canada’s debt on a sustainable path. 
Published in The Globe and Mail. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent recently said that President Donald Trump’s reciprocal tariff scheme, due on April 2, will feature country-specific rates. What that means for Canada, like all U.S. trading partners, depends on which real or imagined transgressions Mr. Trump and his officials use to justify their actions. […] 
Bill Robson, president and CEO of the C.D. Howe Institute, says federal leaders must protect Canada’s tax system if Trump decides to target Canada’s GST. 
Canada’s governments are party to the Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA), which instituted a novel venue for the resolution of interprovincial trade barriers: the Regulatory Reconciliation and Cooperation Table (RCT). Drawing on cross-country interviews with key experts and players involved in the efforts to reduce internal trade barriers in Canada, this paper proposes a set of recommendations for the RCT process to generate improved results going forward.