Fen Osler Hampson

While National Newswatch does not keep an archive of external articles for longer than 6 months, we do keep all articles written by contributors who post directly to our site. Here you will find all of the contributed and linked external articles from Fen Osler Hampson.

The North is Canada’s Secret Weapon Against Donald Trump

The North is Canada’s Secret Weapon Against Donald Trump

Canada faces an urgent, nation-defining imperative: to develop its vast northern territories not only as an economic opportunity but as a critical assertion of Canada’s sovereignty in the face of renewed threats from its southern neighbour, and amid the growing threat of China and Russia in the Arctic. The spectre of a rekindled Manifest Destiny, once a 19th-century doctrine of...

Canada’s Last-Mover Advantage in Trump’s Tariff War

Canada’s Last-Mover Advantage in Trump’s Tariff War

On August 1st, unless a breakthrough is achieved at the negotiating table, Canadian exporters could face a punishing new reality: a 35% tariff on goods entering the United States. This threat, the latest salvo from President Trump, is sending shockwaves through Canadian boardrooms and Ottawa. Yet, as with so much in the Trump era, crucial details remain shrouded in a...

The Digital Services Tax Standoff: An Own Goal We Could Do Without

The Digital Services Tax Standoff: An Own Goal We Could Do Without

For the most part since coming to office, Prime Minister Mark Carney has deftly used a mixture of discretion and flattery in managing Donald Trump. The process has been remarkably successful – it’s even been several days since Trump last talked about annexing Canada. Unfortunately, at a moment when Canada most needed to tread carefully, we’ve managed to score a...

We Have a Tariff Reprieve. Let’s Use it to Firmly Establish the Facts.

We Have a Tariff Reprieve. Let’s Use it to Firmly Establish the Facts.

While Donald Trump has now agreed to a 30-day pause on his threatened 25% tariffs against Canada, that threat remains active, now linked to a vague “economic deal” per his social media post on the subject. The iron laws of economics and US politics will eventually defeat Trump’s use of tariffs against Canada, Mexico, and China. But it will take...

The Opportunity for Canada in the Trump Tariff Crisis

The Opportunity for Canada in the Trump Tariff Crisis

While Donald Trump’s second presidency is generating anticipatory anxiety in capitals across the world, here in Canada, all eyes are on January 20 awaiting an answer to a very specific question: “Will he or won’t he?” Will he or won’t he levy an across-the-board 25 percent tariff on Canadian and Mexican goods?” Though, by now, it should be clear that...