Category Archives: Trade Agreements

Seven Trade Moves to Watch For Under Joe Biden

This is a Globe and Mail (Toronto) column, 12 November 2020, reviewing some of the key trade policy issues likely to percolate to the surface as between Canada and the US under Joe Biden’s presidency. Canada-US Trade Under President Biden

Buy American Challenges

This is a short piece issued by the C. D. Howe Institute, Toronto, regarding the Buy American policies of president-elect Biden and the potential challenges these kind of preference have for Canadian suppliers to the American procurement market. C D Howe Inst Memo – Joe Biden’s Buy American Agenda

Restoring Order to World Trade

Restoring Order to Global Trade-FP 27 Oct 2020

No Peace in the Trade Valley

Peace in the Trade Valley-FP Comment 13 Aug 2020 This is a comment in the Financial Post, 13 August 2020, explaining how privately-driven trade disputes (like dumping and subsidy complaints) will continue even if Washington and Beijing conclude some kind of trade armistice. The WTO Agreement plus countless investment treaties worldwide allow private parties to… Read More »

Investment Disputes in a Post-Pandemic World

This article is a summary of the state of investment disputes under the so-called Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) systems in various treaties to which Canada is party. It looks at current win-loss record for Canada and deals with the phase out of NAFTA investment disputes under the new Canada-US-Mexico Trade Agreement or CUSMA. While these… Read More »

CUSMA – One Last Hurdle Remains

This was a commentary published in the Report on Business (Globe and Mail) on 8 April 2020. In the piece, I wonder why the Trump administration hasn’t provided the official notice needed to get the CUSMA into effect. I suspect much of it is related to the auto rules of orgin, something Mexico has also… Read More »

COVID-19 Crisis & Trump’s Export Controls

COVID-19 Crisis-Export Controls Not the Answer

Submission to House of Commons Trade Committee

This is a copy of my submission to the Canadian House of Commons Trade Committee in advance of my testimony on February 20. 2020. I say that the task before the Committee in to bring Canadian laws into line with CUSMA. It is an implementing bill, not a treaty re-negotiating exercise. If the Bill and… Read More »

New US China Trade Deal-Betrayal of WTO Rules?

This is a commentary in the Report on Business on the recently-announced US-China trade deal, a short-term arrangement that, in my view, is contrary to the non-discrimination (MFN) rules in the WTO Agreement. It’s a purely two-way deal that favours US businesses to the prejudice of other WTO members. US China Trade Deal Comment 23 January… Read More »

Investment Disputes under NAFTA-An Evaluation

This commentary, published by the C. D. Howe Institute, deals with investor claims under NAFTA Chapter 11 and assesses Canada’s win-loss record over the past 25 years. These arbitrations are coming to an end under the new NAFTA – or CUSMA as it’s called in Canada. I say that’s a welcome development. NAFTA Investment Disputes-Bringing… Read More »