Canada struck ‘good balance’ in approach with China, says new U.K. envoy
The United Kingdom’s newest envoy to Canada says London isn’t worried about how Canada has handled its relationship with Beijing. The U.K. recently entered into a national security pact with the United States and Australia (AUKUS) in hopes to deter the growing reach of Beijing in the Indo-Pacific. Canada—a traditional Five Eyes ally with the […]
Analysts question whether China can meet ‘high standard’ to join CPTPP, as Taiwan bid encouraged
Beijing and Taipei have both signalled a desire to join a trade deal that includes Canada and 10 other Pacific Rim countries, but questions loom over whether China can meet the “high standard” of the pact, say analysts. Some say a Chinese accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) could have […]
New Icelandic envoy brings trade promotion prowess to Ottawa
Iceland’s new ambassador hopes to bring his trade promotion bonafides to Ottawa to expand trade and investment between the Nordic island nation and Canada. A former Iceland consul general in New York City, Ambassador Hlynur Gudjonsson presented his letter of credence to new Governor General Mary May Simon on Sept. 9 in the vice-regal’s first […]
Backing Taiwan’s CPTPP bid a key step towards broadening Canada-Taiwan relations: envoy
The last two years have been challenging for all of us. Taiwan’s pandemic situation took a turn for the worse in mid-May this year because of new COVID variants. Fortunately, our government immediately deployed tight prevention measures, and with the co-operation of the population, the pandemic situation swiftly improved in mid-July. By August, mere three […]
Trans-Pacific trade pact works best without China
A major goal of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), intended to cover about 40 per cent of world trade, was to ensure that rule of law nations, not China, would write the rules for the world economy in the 21st century. The Obama administration concluded the TPP would spur economic growth and create new jobs, while […]
Canada must oppose China’s entry to Trans-Pacific trade pact
Last month, China officially applied to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), one of the world’s largest free trade areas. It is now up to CPTPP members—11 countries that include Canada, Japan, Singapore, Australia, and New Zealand—to decide whether to allow China to join the pact. The principal rationale behind agreements […]
Trades worker shortage getting worse as politicians promise more construction
Canada’s shortage of skilled tradespeople is getting worse, the government’s efforts to fix it aren’t working well enough, and that could interfere with an infrastructure-fuelled economic recovery, says a new report released by the Royal Bank of Canada. More than 700,000 skilled tradespeople will likely retire by the year 2028, according to the bank’s report, […]
All-party support mutes impact of supply management in election, despite political sniping
Despite concessions in successive trade deals on access to Canada’s supply-managed dairy sector, cross-party support means it is unlikely to be a decisive ballot box issue in crucial rural ridings in Ontario and Quebec. All five major political parties have pledged their backing for the supply management system, with the Liberal government committing not to […]
To move beyond the pandemic, Canada needs to look globally
It has become evident that COVID-19 does not discriminate between borders or international alliances. Despite this, some of the wealthiest nations are gripped by a zero-sum mentality, as they have made and continue to make policy decisions that solely look inwards. Last year, the World Trade Organization reported that 80 countries banned the exportation of personal protective equipment […]
Canada is still a middle power: someone should tell the prime minister
As we approach six months since U.S. President Joe Biden’s inauguration—what Canadian leaders thought would be a watershed moment for Canada on the international stage—it is worth asking ourselves what, if anything, has changed? The unpredictable and often short-tempered president Donald Trump has been replaced with a career politician that many Canadians believed would prioritize […]
