What’s really behind higher milk prices

The Canadian Dairy Commission is morally and ethically compromised. It needs to distance itself from the dairy sector immediately

What’s really behind higher milk pricesEvery year, the Canadian Dairy Commission (CDC), a branch of the federal government, hires external consultants to assess the cost of producing milk on the farm. The CDC has never released any data about costing and has recommended farm milk price increases most years, eventually impacting retail prices and Canadian families. Since February, dairy product…

Softwood lumber dispute is bad for consumers and producers

The big losers from the tariff are, without a doubt, American consumers

Softwood lumber dispute is bad for consumers and producersBy Olivier Rancourt and Gabriel Giguere The Canadian softwood lumber dispute with the United States, which has been dragging on for some 40 years now, is long overdue for a resolution. Despite setbacks before WTO and NAFTA tribunals, accusations of subsidized production from American decision-makers and producers continue. The accusations have notably led to the…

Manitoba’s economic growth depends on U.S. trade

But U.S. protectionism is still a threat

Manitoba’s economic growth depends on U.S. tradeTrade is essential for Manitoba’s economy. International exports and imports represented 46.4 per cent of its gross domestic product in 2018. With a significant goods-related industry estimated at 26.9 per cent of GDP in 2019, Manitoba needs strong trading partners to help develop its economy. In 2019, 30.6 per cent of its exports were resource-based…

Why Canada’s latest deal with the U.S. creates trade barriers

Canada must be aware that protectionism has returned which makes international trade complicated

Why Canada’s latest deal with the U.S. creates trade barriersCanada faces new pressures on any attempts to ramp up international trade. In 1994, the United States, Mexico and Canada created a free-trade region with the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Considering that the U.S. has been the largest economy in the world from 1994 to now, NAFTA was a true asset for the…

Alberta planting the seeds for a tech boom but care required

Alongside investing and funding, the government of Alberta must emphasize entrepreneurship and keep co-operating with the private sector

Alberta planting the seeds for a tech boom but care requiredTechnology companies have emerged as clear winners during the COVID-19 pandemic. Jurisdictions without a traditional tech imprint – like Alberta – have funnelled funds to facilitate startups. That’s a good diversification strategy, but they should be careful not to veer into protectionism and favouritism. It came as no surprise that in 2020 retail sales through…

Market diversity will save Canada from international bullying

Reducing our dependence on any one particular market or supplier makes us much less vulnerable to arbitrary and unfair treatment

Market diversity will save Canada from international bullying“It’s not fair!” How often have parents heard this loud, angry declaration from young children at any real or perceived injustice? Children have an innate sense of fairness that demands to be respected. Hence the practice of asking one child to divide a piece of cake and the other to choose first. Fairness has become…

Will Canada finally get interprovincial alcohol trade?

A private member’s bill in Ottawa is offering Canadians a renewed chance to ‘free the beer’

Will Canada finally get interprovincial alcohol trade?Interprovincial alcohol distribution in Canada has always been a nightmare. For our wineries, breweries and spirit makers, selling alcohol to Americans is easier than selling to consumers outside their own province. Many Canadian alcoholic products like wines, beers and spirits have won international prestigious awards but can’t be sold to most Canadians. It’s simply ridiculous.…

The dawning of a new trade era in the United States

If Trump was isolationist, Biden will be more open to diplomacy and exchange with America’s allies

The dawning of a new trade era in the United StatesWith the return of the Democrats to the White House, there will be changes in United States foreign policy. Canada, as the third largest U.S. trade partner, will be impacted. The presidency of Republican Donald Trump was characterized by strong protectionism. It featured a renegotiation of NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement), which led to…

It’s time Canada stopped protecting its dairy industry

Governments tend to forget about consumers when managing supply. Open trade to more cheese and challenge our farmers

It’s time Canada stopped protecting its dairy industryCheese heads – it’s what Canadians are called in many of the United States border regions. It’s because when many Canadians visit their American neighbours, they head straight to the nearest supermarket and buy cheese – and milk and eggs. Dairy and eggs are much more expensive in Canada than in the U.S., even when…

Protectionism on the rise as NAFTA talks stall

Against the backdrop of an increasingly fraught political relationship between the U.S. and Mexico, what should Canada do?

Protectionism on the rise as NAFTA talks stallThe contentious (and sometimes very public) North American Free Trade Agreement negotiations between the U.S., Canada and Mexico likely got more complicated with the recent election of a new president of Mexico. While Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (known as AMLO) says he wants a successful outcome to the NAFTA talks, he’s an outspoken critic of…
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