Advocates embrace potential for ‘systemic changes’ stemming from House committee report on health and IP, but opponents question study’s ‘premise’
Advocates for reducing intellectual property rules to promote access to medicines see a report issued by the House Foreign Affairs Committee last week as having many positive elements, while members of the pharmaceutical industry and related groups expressed mixed reactions, ranging from openness despite their disagreement with a key recommendation to questioning the premise of […]
Eyes turn to trade-pact clock after latest U.K. government toss-up
With negotiation of a new Canada-U.K. free trade agreement set to be completed within the next 17 months, it remains to be seen what impact the new occupant of 10 Downing Street will have on the talks. The Canada-United Kingdom Trade Continuity Agreement (TCA), which rolled over Canada’s trade deal with the European Union to […]
Committee report on vaccine equity calls for immediate review of Canada’s Access to Medicines Regime
The federal government should move quickly to consult Canadians on the rules surrounding when generic drug makers can manufacture and send patented medicines to developing nations in the throes of a health crises, says a House committee in a new report tabled on Oct. 24. Liberal MP Ali Ehsassi (Willowdale, Ont.), chair of the House […]
New French envoy is keeping an eye on aftershocks of Russian invasion of Ukraine
Amid Ukrainian momentum on the battlefield, France’s newest ambassador to Canada is eyeing the far-reaching effects of Russia’s misstep, likely to be felt around the globe, with the emergence of a “new era.” Ukraine’s counteroffensive, which was launched on Aug. 29, has led to the recapture of towns and territory in the northeastern and southern […]
The future of business success needs trade infrastructure
Canada has a serious infrastructure deficit. We have heard this for years. We, at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, have been saying it for years. But what does it really mean? What does it matter? How do we fix it? As a trading nation, Canada’s trade infrastructure matters more than for many other countries. Two […]
Cheese remains sticking point in U.K. trade talks as Brits want to maintain access
Despite a Canadian proclamation that cheese won’t be a subject of negotiations during free trade discussions with the United Kingdom, the U.K. is maintaining that it will continue to push for dairy market access. Access to Canada’s supply-managed sector has been a sensitive issue for the Liberal government as market access has been distributed in […]
Limited hope for resolution to historic Canada-U.S. softwood lumber spat, say stakeholders, MPs
As Ottawa embarks on a trade challenge of American countervailing duties on Canadian softwood lumber exports, there is a glimmer of hope that both sides can reach a negotiated settlement to resolve the longstanding dispute. Softwood lumber has long been a trade irritant along the 49th parallel, as both Democratic and Republican administrations have taken […]
The government must get serious about the skills gap
A shortage of tradespersons leads to higher labour costs, which in turn leads to higher home prices, less housing inventory, and longer wait times for virtually everything consumed within our economy.
Collective action needed to confront authoritarian regimes, says departing Taiwanese envoy
Taiwan’s outgoing representative says the troubled Canada-China relationship and the Russian invasion of Ukraine shows the need for democracies to stand together. “If we are not going to prepare today … then tomorrow everyone is going to suffer,” Taiwanese representative Winston Wen-yi Chen told The Hill Times during an interview at the Taipei Economic and […]
In time of transition, Canada-U.K. ties are stronger than ever
As I visit Canada for the first time as the United Kingdom’s minister for North America, back across the Atlantic, Ukraine is marking 31 years of independence from the Soviet Union. This is the moment to reflect on how far Ukraine has come as a free democracy since embracing its freedom, and how vital it […]
