Three keys to successful trade negotiations
OTTAWA—When I lived in Geneva in the late 1990s, I was approached by the director of a private university there to teach a course for its MBA students. The subject was “Communications, Presentation, and Negotiation Skills.” I pointed out I had experience as a broadcaster and a public speaker, but knew next to nothing about […]
China’s ‘debt trap’ is a myth
Recently, some Western media outlets have been hyping up the idea of China’s so-called “debt trap,” claiming that by providing a large number of loans to some African, Asian, and Pacific Island countries, China attempts to gain control over resources, infrastructure, and even the sovereignty of those countries once they are gripped by debt due […]
NAFTA players top Canada’s 40 most-influential foreign-policy minds
When it comes to who is influencing Canadian foreign policy, there’s the people working on files related to the United States, and then there’s everyone else. The constant focus of Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government on renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement with an adversarial United States President Donald Trump has necessarily sucked resources and […]
Norway model the best choice for U.K. to avoid Brexit calamity
OTTAWA—The Norway model is still the best solution for the United Kingdom as it struggles to secure its future after its fast-approaching deadline for exiting the European Union. Norway has twice rejected full membership in the EU, most recently in 1994, mainly to protect its fisheries industry and, to a lesser extent, its farmers from […]
New business coalition makes late-stage play in NAFTA talks to keep trade free
With Canada and the United States in the late stages of NAFTA trade talks, a new coalition of entrenched business interests is lobbying to preserve the trilateral agreement. In an effort to demonstrate the business community’s alignment on NAFTA, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce has been stringing together a collective of like-minded business groups and […]
From staffer to minister: the rise of Mary Ng
Despite claims of favouritism levelled by opponents, Mary Ng says it’s her 20 years of government and political experience that propelled her to the Liberals’ front bench in the 16 months between her election to the House of Commons and her cabinet appointment. “What you get is you get a grounding—you get a grounding in […]
PCO clerk Wernick celebrates the bureaucracy’s best at annual awards shindig
Most Hillites have heard of Canada-U.S. coordinator Brian Clow’s unit based out of the Prime Minister’s Office, but what about the bureaucrats backing them up? Known as the Canada-United States Engagement team, the 15-person group was recognized with an Exemplary Contribution Under Extraordinary Circumstances award at the 2018 Public Service Award of Excellence ceremony held […]
The right path, the hard path: Canada must continue to call out global rights abusers
Saudi Arabia’s reaction to statements of concern from Canada’s foreign ministry over repression of human rights activists shows a willingness to weaponize trade policy in order to secure consent to human rights abuses. This can only embolden other human rights violators like China, despite provisions of the World Trade Organization aimed at forestalling trade retaliation […]
A goulash of grief in every pot? The Trump midterms aren’t just about America
MONTREAL—In the recent course of promoting his latest book, Fear: Trump in the White House, legendary Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward told NPR ominously, “I am convinced that people need to wake up and not kind of pretend this is just politics or this is partisan. … We are at a pivot point in history.” […]
From CPTPP to NAFTA, trade to top agenda in the House this fall
The House of Commons is back this week for the last fall sitting before the 2019 election, and trade is set to top the agenda, with NAFTA renegotiations ongoing and a bill to enact the new Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement fresh on the Order Paper. Government House Leader Bardish Chagger (Waterloo, Ont.), in a phone interview […]
