Autocratic Lives Matter? Saudi Arabia and the sovereignty card
One of the many ironies of our current political moment is that while, for the first time since 1970, sovereignty isn’t on the ballot in the upcoming Quebec election, it seems to be catching on in the rest of the world. But the sovereignty that has become an incantation among autocrats seeking refuge from condemnation […]
More interprovincial electricity trade will lower energy prices, experts say
More energy trading between provinces could lower prices for consumers, say energy analysts, but for provinces it isn’t a priority as they seek energy self-sufficiency. “By having increased interprovincial electricity trade, costs [of zero-emission energy] will be brought down,” said Nick Martin, a policy analyst at the Canada West. He said a province could be self-sufficient […]
Rough trade: Trump and his tariff fixation
OTTAWA—One can’t help but wonder what the hundreds of market researchers, university experts, and economists—part of the multi-million-dollar trade intelligence industry focused on U.S.-Canada dealings—thought about the White House spokesperson’s analysis of bilateral trade last month. Reducing the entire matter to the language of a grade school spat over who didn’t get a card on […]
Trade tops Taiwanese envoy’s priorities
Taiwan’s new top diplomat in Canada is looking to tap into the Canadian government’s desire to diversify its trading relationships. With United States President Donald Trump looking to renegotiate NAFTA and threatening longstanding trade ties in other areas, Canada is trying to forge new trading arrangements so as not to have all its eggs in […]
With NAFTA at risk, the name of the game’s now trade diversification
TORONTO—The Trudeau government’s response to big challenges, it seems, is to appoint more cabinet ministers. Instead of having a Minister for International Trade, we now have a Minister for Trade Diversification, Jim Carr, and a Minister for Export Promotion, Mary Ng. We have yet to see how having two trade ministers will double the results […]
Time for Ottawa to reset the agenda
OTTAWA—To call the current trade relationship between Canada and the U.S. “troubled” is to resort to euphemism—we are watching a breakdown of historic proportions. An overwhelmingly positive partnership that spans nearly 200 years is being threatened by a U.S. president based on figures he admits he made up. The fact that NAFTA has created jobs […]
Economists, ‘not surprised’ by carbon-pricing changes, explain what they mean
Economists say the Liberal government’s changes to its proposed carbon-pricing subsidy rates for industrial emitters offered them no surprises, despite growls from politicians and some journalists that the update was a “retreat” from carbon pricing. Politicians, including Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe, were quick to accuse the feds of “watering down” their carbon-pricing plan. On social […]
Slovenia’s ambassador leaves post with wish for more trade, diplomatic exchanges
Outgoing Slovenian Ambassador Marjan Cencen says he hopes his successor will not only be able to grow bilateral trade between Canada and his European nation but also organize more official visits between the two. During a July 18 interview in his office on the corner of Laurier Avenue and Metcalfe Street in downtown Ottawa, Mr. Cencen […]
Trade, agriculture, innovation bureaucrats are most lobbied
The country’s most-lobbied federal bureaucrats so far this year have their hands on trade, agriculture, and innovation files, according to statistics from the federal lobbyists’ registry, with top officials at Trade, Environment Canada, and Innovation, Science, and Economic Development the most in demand. With NAFTA negotiations underway, lobbyists say it’s no surprise that Frédéric Seppey, the […]
Worst-case scenario gains traction for Brexit-bound U.K.
OTTAWA—How’s that Brexit thing working out for you? One can’t help asking that question of the British these days. In 2016, before the referendum vote to leave the European Union, the United Kingdom was a leading business power, proud of its role as the world’s most important financial centre and blessed with low inflation, an […]
