Bloc blames Liberals for delaying bill to end supply management concessions
The Bloc Québécois are accusing the Liberals of delaying a private member’s bill that would bar trade negotiators from being able to make supply management concessions in future trade talks even as the bill has received broad support. Bill C-216, which was introduced by Bloc MP Louis Plamondon (Bécancour–Nicolet–Saurel, Que.), passed at second reading in […]
‘Cautious optimism’ in talks to reopen non-essential travel with Canada, says new EU envoy
It may soon be time for Canadians to pack their luggage for Europe as European Union member nations are currently in talks over how and when borders will reopen for non-essential travel, says the European Union’s newest envoy to Canada. EU Ambassador Melita Gabrič said resuming non-essential travel will be based on a number of […]
Shattered dreams of peace in Colombia and what Canada can do about it
A national strike in Colombia that began on April 28 over a now-cancelled tax reform has grown into massive mobilizations against extreme inequality and police repression. Since then, at least 50 (and counting) demonstrators have been killed, hundreds have been detained arbitrarily or are still unaccounted for, dozens have suffered severe eye injuries, and multiple […]
U.S.-backed vaccine waiver should force Canada to support initiative, say politicos
The U.S. decision to support a waiver that could potentially lead to increased global COVID-19 vaccine production could force Canada’s hand as it has long delayed making a decision on the proposal put forward at the World Trade Organization, say analysts, including a former Liberal trade minister and WTO ambassador. U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai […]
Biden scores big with developing nations while Canada appears to be sitting on sidelines
The Canadian government could have been on the wrong side of the world vaccine issue. By failing to immediately join the United States president in his call for an end to patent protection for coronavirus vaccines, Canada risked losing its globally positive reputation. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has already signalled he may replace an initial […]
How Canada can advance Indigenous rights through trade agreements
According to our government, Canada put the “progressive” in the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership. In 2017, PM Justin Trudeau dramatically walked out of negotiations in Vietnam, and subsequently took credit for including Indigenous, labour, and environmental rights in the preamble. In 2018, Canada became the 5th country to ratify the 11-country CPTPP agreement. A study […]
Canada continues to delay decision on COVID vaccines IP waiver
The Canadian government maintains it hasn’t made up its mind on a waiver that potentially could allow increased vaccine production around the world, a delay some say is equivalent to opposing the initiative. The waiver was brought forward to the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) Council for Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) last October […]
This just in: IMF advocates for more active government in post-pandemic world
TORONTO—Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, in preparing her first budget, would be well-served by reading the latest advice coming out of the International Monetary Fund. The global agency, once noted for its dogmatic—and at times destructive–unbridled free market ideology, is now an advocate of more active government and is making clear the connections between social policy, […]
The return of industrial policy
An unintended consequence of populism and geopolitics is the return of industrial policy in most Western countries. Whether it is populist “Buy America” policies creating protectionist trade walls, or expanding tech export and investment restrictions as the United States and China compete for dominance in key technologies, or the lack of resiliency in global supply […]
Some Senators criticize rushed process as Canada-U.K. transitional trade deal passes Red Chamber without committee review
For the second time in a row, the Senate fast-tracked a trade implementation bill without a formal committee review, drawing the ire of some members of the Red Chamber and raising questions about the Senate’s role in the trade process. Last week, Bill C-18—the Canada-U.K. Trade Continuity Agreement (TCA) implementation bill—passed through the Senate in […]
